The Revenants of Overwatch
by Goodnames-alltaken
Summary: Some people just don't stay dead; especially when they're betrayed by the very organization they worked for. These Revenants emerged from the ashes of the past; what was once Heroes had devolved into a Squadron of Madmen intent of wreaking havoc until they were avenged. Yet 1 returned from the brink. Justice will be served. Overwatch being recalled was the only RIGHT way to do it.
1. Chapter 1 - Finally Waking Up

"We can make the World stop", his finger hovered over the 'enter' key on his keyboard. His Fellow accomplices watch him tensely.

"Do it", an Accomplice furrowed their brow at him, "We have them at our fingertips and they don't even know it. Stop their world and make them look around for once".

He frowned slightly, "But should we do it? Or rather... should I do it?".

"You should", another Accomplice sighed, "You know if there was an alternative to this, I would have told you otherwise".

"But Overwatch...".

"Overwatch couldn't change the world if they tried", his Partner told him, "They won't stop this damn war. We will".

"They know of our plot", his First Accomplice reminded him, "The Omnics and Overwatch both. They don't like the idea of us stepping in. Nobody would considering how extreme this might turn out to be. But this is the best way to go about it".

"And what makes you right?", he asked his accomplice.

"Because we are the ones who know how all things end: With Death", his Partner told him, "You should know better than anyone. You died when the World's Greed gave birth to the Omniums. You died with your Family".

"Yet here I am", he whispered to himself, "Wondering if I should even do it... Use the hijacked codes from the Omnics to destroy them for good and using our remaining code to destroy the World's Economy and bring all nations to swift ruin".

"You make it sound like we're ending the world".

"Is that not what we're precisely doing?", he asked.

"No... We're making the World stop", they all replied in unison, "It's a very delicate difference that Overwatch, Omnics, and Terrorists fail to recognize".

"But it seems as th-".

"You're not a Hero, Kyle. Not anymore. You said it yourself".

"I did?".

"You died in that Operation. You died for Overwatch. And for what? For them to fail you. You're a Revenant. That's what you are. That's what WE are. With everything happening, they lost sight of what their goal was. We'll make the world stop. We'll make them see", anger was in their voices.

He thought hard.

He could still see his own Overwatch Profile.

' _Operative Name – Kyle Lazarus Wasser_

 _Alias - Nightmare_

 _Age – 23_

 _Role – Cyber-Specialist; Captain of 'Echo Squadron'_

 _Current Status – MISSING IN ACTION (Presumed K.I.A)_

 _Nationality – German-Canadian_

 _Biography – Born in Toronto, Canada on the Year 2034 C.E (Common Era). Kyle Wasser was born to Richard Hartigan Wasser and Jillian Cecilia Wasser. It is currently confirmed that Operative Wasser has 2 Sisters living with his Parents as Civilians in Canada._

 _Operative Wasser had a fruitful career within the Canadian Military during the North-American Cyber-War between the U.S and Canada after an unknown attack on Washington D.C (Suspected Work of Talon) caused the U.S to declare war._

 _Serving with distinction and winning the first ever 'The Cross of the Phoenix of Terra'; the Highest Medal of Honour within the Canadian Military given to Soldiers who distinguish themselves greatly on the field with either tactical acumen or tenacity in warfare._

 _Operative Wasser also won several other medals and was infamously known as 'Nightmare' due to his involvement in Canadian Black Operations that included attacks on U.S Military Bases in the still of night that involved executions and no survivors._

 _Once the War had ended, Operative Wasser was promoted into the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel within the Canadian Military._

 _A while after Overwatch was founded,Operative Wasser was inducted into the Organization after the Canadian Military agreed on giving him over to aid in Overwatch Operations during the Omnic Crisis (Omnic War)._

 _Despite never becoming a 'Hero' of Overwatch, Operative Wasser served with great distinction in several notable operations including: Operation Banefire (The Siege of Copenhagen), Operation Overlord (The Invasion of Omnic-Occupied Beijing), Operation Harbinger (The Siege of Berlin), and various other Operations during the Crisis._

 _While never becoming an outspoken public figure, Operative Wasser became famous within the ranks of Overwatch's 'Grunt' Force, and was well-known to the Heroes of Overwatch. It is believed that Operative Wasser was on friendly terms with: Lena Oxton, John Morrison, Angela Ziegler, and was acquaintances with many others._

 _Operative Wasser and 'Echo Squadron' were officially killed when a group of unknown assailants planted a bomb (Suspects include Talon and Blackwatch due to charred corpses of assailants) that detonated during Operation Epilogue (The Siege of New York). Operative Wasser's body was never recovered._

 _He is currently considered M.I.A (Missing in Action). He is, however, officially declared as K.I.A until evidence suggests otherwise._

_Appearance_

 _Height – 6 Foot 2_

 _Ethnicity – Caucasian_

 _Hair Colour – Black_

 _Eye Colour – Gray_

 _Description of Face – "Attractive", Sharp Features, 94% Symmetry_

 _Description of Body – Statuesque, Athletic, Firm, Strong_

 _Description of Stature - "Imposing"_ '.

He grimaced at the thought of his profile. He shook his head as his finger slowly begins to ease away, "... I can't allow this".

"Why?", his Accomplices stood up in anger.

"... This... we're becoming just like them", he stepped back slightly, blinking hard, "... What have we become?", he turned to them, surprise on his face, "... We no longer have allies. Enemies with our Former Friends in Overwatch. Still-Enemies with the Omnics. Considered so Extreme that even Terrorists consider us to be a threat to them... We're becoming monsters".

"You knew this", his Partner hissed at him, "Do it. If we make the world stop, we can make them realize what we have done. Make them realize that we were right in the end!".

"No...", he began entering a command onto the terminal, "I can't let you do this. I wish to avenge myself, but I do not wish to become a Monster at the same time".

"NO!", the sound of guns being drawn.

" **I CAN'T LET YOU TRY TO BECOME A HERO! YOU ARE A** **REVENANT** **!".**

 **The raging burn of something being torn straight through his back.**

 **The terrible pain of being shot.**

 **It was all red.**

...

...

...

...

 **Present Time; Somewhere in London, England**

He woke up with a start.

Sweat was beading upon his forehead as his pupils dilate and try to register the world around him. He blinked a few times as he tried to remember where he was.

He remembers.

6 Years Ago, the Omnic Crisis came to an end, and the world soon returned to peace, his dementia was waved out and all that remained was anger.

5 Years Ago, Overwatch became an International Peacekeeping Force, and his sacrifice was forgotten even when he knew he was betrayed by his own organization. Driven mad with anger, he and a rag-tag crew gathered into a Hyper-Elite Cyber-Kinetic Terrorist Force that carried out public attacks and hacked electronics to cause mayhem.

5 Years Ago, he left behind his Accomplices and his Partner after grabbing onto the flickering flame of heroics that was hidden deep behind the fog of anger and dementia that had taken place in his head.

5 Years Ago, Overwatch was officially disbanded and its members went underground, his anger remained, but a new sense of confusion would come to heads and take over his life as he became a periodic vagabond.

4 Years Ago, he became a 'Terrorist' after finding himself without purpose. He swore to kill anybody that stood in his way, whether they be a Hero or Villain.

2 Years Ago, he became infamously known as _Revenant_ by the World, and his fame made him the World's Second-Most-Wanted Terrorist. He was second only to Reaper.

2 Years Ago, several other Terrorist Organizations came out and officially denounced Revenant as a stray terrorist that even they did not tolerate; meaning that even Terrorist Organizations were hostile to him.

4 Months Ago, the World announced that he may have died after he failed to deliver an attack after 4 months of inactivity.

A week ago, he came to London as his memories began to wander to his days in Overwatch.

5 Days ago, he began trying to track down Tracer's where-about in hopes of talking to her to discover what has become of Overwatch's Agents and see what he would do afterwards.

Last Night, he took a drink in a nearby pub before beating the life out of a Thug who thought it was a good idea to smack-talk him, before killing the Good Samaritan who came in to try and stop the fighting themself.

He escaped before the Police could arrive, and passed out in an alley?

Yes, an alley, he remembered now.

It would explain the smell of garbage wafting in the air and the stench of alcohol in his breath. He gave a soft groan as he took a look down upon himself.

His disposable civilian clothing was stained with alcohol and water from the dirty fucking puddles on the alley floor.

His hotel should be nearby, and they'll readily welcome him back after paying the staff some 'hush-money' he had stolen after skimming money from over 1,000 different Bank Accounts by hacking into their Infrastructure and drawing it out of several ATMs.

Despite having turned 29 this year, he didn't look a minute over the age of 24.

Scars remain as evidence of his duty after having worked for Overwatch, and the very delicate light in his eyes was a reminder to those that faced him that he wasn't someone who was doing what he was doing without reason.

He was a man with a cause, not some Terrorist; contrary to popular belief.

He couldn't let the world continue on the way it was going. It was heading down the wrong path in his eyes. The only way he could fix it... was to force it to do what it may not want to do.

He forced himself onto his feet. He swayed with the stinking breeze as he narrowed his eyes and checked his watch.

 _8:21AM_

He's still on time.

40 Minutes until he strikes again.

He began walking to the hotel.

...

...

 **1 Hour Later; Atop of the Elizabeth Tower**

He was in position.

He was dressed in his infamous Terroristic Overalls.

It consisted of a black long-sleeve Digital-Pattern Military Uniform combined with black military pants with the same pattern. He wore a black-market-purchased Mark VI Bullet Proof Vest that provided exemplary protection against firearms of all calibers without sacrificing all his mobility.

Several holsters were strapped to his leg; each one holding a different calibre handgun.

One was a semi-auto 9mm.

Another was an automatic machine gun.

The one strapped to his right thigh was a .50 calibre magnum that could stand off against McCree if he was to fire a bullet at his bullet.

Kyle's accuracy was quite spot-on commonly. The precision of a sniper combined with the fire rate of an assault rifle could make a quite deadly combination. But that was just his natural talent, his abilities were something more devastating.

We'll see it in action once he starts his attack.

He mumbled to himself as he raised the black face mask and tightened the black cap to his head, "30 Seconds until the little protest rally reaches the bridge...".

He saw the parading protestors and the following Constable Force watching over them. They begin to cross the bridge that he had planted the bombs on.

He grinned devilishly underneath the mask, "Come on over you sonnuva bitch".

He stood up onto his feet and raises his left wrist up.

There was a touch-screen hacking & access tool attached to it. It gave a blue glow as he taps in his security pattern and decrypts the device as it activates.

He activates a few tools, hits a few buttons and grin as he heard the satisfying hiss of the thrusters readying and the sound of mechanical wings unfurling.

He was **Revenant**.

Kyle Wasser stood atop of the Elizabeth Tower; looming as a Revenant.

His mechanical wings were spread widely upon both sides as though he was an Angel.

A Fallen One.

The thrusters attached underneath the wings and underneath his boots were ready to fire and help him slow his fall to the point where it could be perceived as flying.

He couldn't fly like a plane, mind you.

But the tech involved with the thrusters allowed him to 'fly' (More like extremely efficient gliding with the ability to spike upwards once) for extended periods of time without the need to ever refuel as it doesn't run off standard fuel.

It was experimental tech from Overwatch that he managed to steal back when he was part of the Extremist Crew.

The Protest Parade and the Constables reach the exact mid-point. The ideal point where his bombs could go off and easily wipe them all out.

Yet the bombs don't go off.

He watches intently.

Waiting.

Suddenly, the Parade stops as the Constables quickly rally.

Constables close in from the direction of Elizabeth's Tower with their shields in a line. They were holding the Protestors on the bridge for some reason.

That was the queue.

Gas Canisters detonate amongst the Protestors alongside with EMP Grenades.

A mist of smoke and a neurotic gas was released within the Protestors; causing the humans within to start falling like flies.

The EMP grenades wipe out the Omnis who were part of the protest.

However, as many fell, some still stood.

They all wore long coats and generally seemed as though they were trying to remain as anonymous as possible.

The Constables following the parade drew their weapons as quickly as possible.

But Kyle knew they had no real chance against those 'Protestors'.

Those were Talon Terrorists, and they were going to be helluva lot more well-armed then a bunch of Constables with pistols.

The gunfire begins with a distinct advantage for Talon as nearly 14 Constables are mowed down within 2 seconds.

The remainder begin firing back, and about 2 Talon Mercs fall under their combined gunfire of handguns.

Not a very good counter attack if he'd ever see one.

Kyle doesn't sweep in yet though. He was waiting for someone else.

And in the corner of his focus; just behind the Constables with metal shields who were pressing as a line towards the Gunmen, he saw a swirl of a black mist.

A black and red mist was swirling behind the line of Constables and fleeing, surviving protestors. He doesn't need time to know who was part of the attack.

 **Reaper**.

A growl escaped his throat, "There you are, you sonnuva bitch", he prepared to fly in, "You've been a thorn in my ass for too long. Always trying to kill the Revenant. Well, I suppose there can only be 1".

Reaper rised from the mist as though he was some sort of eldritch being. His infamous shotguns were popped into his hands within milliseconds of his appearance as he unleashes a hailstorm of bullets upon the unknowing Riot Constables.

Countless fall.

The Constables were about to be wiped out, and even their fast-approaching reinforcements wouldn't be fast or strong enough to stop Talon from succeeding at their objective: Blow up the Elizabeth Tower.

They had disguised their agents in teh midst of the parading protest in order to get their armed forces in as closely and as discreetly as they could to teh Elizabeth Tower.

The Parade rally would have never gone any closer to the Elizabeth Tower than from the bridge, so that was their ideal moment to strike since they'd be fairly close by and be able to fight off most of the Emergency Responders without any serious opposition while they get there.

Any further back, and he believes that maybe Tracer or some Vigilante would come screaming in and interfere to assist the Constables; potentially causing Talon to fail at their objectives.

How does he know all this? 

By utilizing his Cyber Warfare Specialty and hacking into the Talon Network during one of their Operations 3 Months ago. He recovered their plans and made his own plans to interfere during their attack in hopes of driving off Talon and scaring the world in 1 attack.

As Reaper continues his onslaught and Talon begins to regroup with Reaper, he snorts and gives his casual going-into-battle phrase.

"Once more unto the breach", he quoted Shakespeare. He leaped off the Elizabeth Tower and begins to plummet.

It was almost like para-trooping during his days fighting for the Canadians in the North-American Cyber-War. He tapped his wrist-mount quickly as he felt the thrusters come to life.

His wing and feet thrusters activate as he begins to sore forward. The remaining thrusters activate at various parts of his body to keep him afloat for as long as possible.

It doesn't have to last long, he was only coming in like this for the theatrics to rattle fear into the eyes of those against him and to have the element of surprise.

He came upon the bridge within 20 seconds.

A Talon Mercenary shouted as he pointed at his angelic form, "Shit! It's Revenant!".

"Spread out!", the Talon Mercs spread.

A Constable shouted, "Lads! It's Revenant! Get the blasted Army here now!".

Kyle narrowed his eyes as he quickly flew straight overhead the bridge and used his 'ultimate'.

With an earth-shattering shout of fury, he raised both hands dramatically into the air before he heard the automatic scream of an opera following with his own. A surge of rockets fire out from the wings.

While nowhere near as many as the amount that Pharah might launch in her epic barrage, Kyle's missiles were far more sinister.

Each were designed to home in on their victims. That wasn't all, each were loaded with micro-grenades that would spray out once they detonate against a target to ensure maximum mayhem.

Only about 10 missiles were fired out of Kyle's wings, but they were more than enough.

Quickly homing in on their targets after turning in their air, the missiles strike sparsely over the bridge.

The Talon Mercs and Constables targeted in particular by the missiles are just about eviscerated entirely; leaving nothing behind but a charred, stump of a corpse in a puddle of black soot and red blood.

The spray of micro-grenades cause more than enough mayhem as everybody anywhere near teh strike zones stumble when the bridge rumbles under the force of several micro-grenades blowing up all around.

A few go tumbling off their feet too with the bridge.

Kyle's thrusters deactivate and Kyle lands upon the bridge gracefully.

He narrowed his eyes at Reaper, "Time to reap the Reaper".

"Prepare to DIE", Reaper's shotguns materialized in his hands within milliseconds as the first shotgun blast fires out.

Kyle's side thrusters sends him barrelling to the side, giving the illusion of him dashing aside as Kyle raised his own rifle.

It was an Automatic M9A4; the revolutionized child of the old M4A1 Rifle from generations ago. Its firepower was formidable and its accuracy was respectable, yet its true selling point came from its underbarrel attachment; which was a seperate bolt-loaded firing chamber capable of firing a .50mm bullet like an Anti-Material Rifle.

It was a devastating shot, but one that took a while to reload since you had to bolt it in AND go through a calibration process with the recoil dampeners.

Kyle unleashed a quick burst from his rifle before dashing aside from another one of Reaper's shotgun blasts.

Reaper easily side-stepped Kyle's burst of bullets.

Reaper unleashed a symphony of lead upon the dodging-Revenant with a condescending laugh.

Each dash Kyle took, it gave him slight flashbacks to working for Overwatch.

He could almost taste the blood in his mouth from whenever he was hit by a bullet and had to power through it.

Just as Reaper runs through all his bullets, he drops the shotguns.

With a tiny opening, Kyle dashed forward before firing off his thrusters.

Kyle tried to tackle Reaper with a boosted lunge, but Reaper's figure dissipates into a black mist as soon as Kyle powered straight through it.

Kyle grinded to a halt as he quickly spun around and ducked under Reaper's swing. With his duck, he spun and threw a upwards-backwards kick that lands firmly against the back of Reaper's head and sends Reaper stumbling.

Yet, Reaper recovers quickly with a pair of shotguns in hand laughing.

He shouts while laughing, "DIE! DIE! DIE!" while unleashing a maelstrom of more bullets.

The Revenant dodged each one narrowly with thruster-assisted dashes and dashes of his own will.

It was the battle between 2 of the World's Most Wanted Terrorists.

Soon, overcome by rage because of Kyle's insistent dodges, Reaper used his own ultimate ability.

A terrible mist of black consumed the area as Reaper screamed at the top of his lungs once more, " **DIE! DIE! DIE!** ".

Bullets flew from everywhere.

Revenant couldn't dodge everything even IF he tried.

Bullets pelted the ground, his armor, his body from every direction despite knowing Reaper was in front of him; shooting in every direction.

It was the infamous Death Blossom.

Revenant gave a hiss of pain as a bullet dug deep into his thigh, "Ah! Fuck off!".

Reaper only laughed some more, " **DIE! DIE! DIE!** ", the bullets continue.

Eventually, much to Kyle's relief, the bullets cease. Yet the damage had been done, Kyle fell to the floor, his mechanical wings damaged as they twitch and spark with him writhing on the floor.

A few bullets managed to strike home, but that wasn't his main concern.

It was the shotgun barrel being pressed upon his face, "Tell me Revenant... Do you know, who I am?".

Kyle snarled, "Of course, Commander Reyes. You never liked Morrison. You never liked me either; so you decided to have Blackwatch plant a bomb and detonate it on me and my team".

"So you knew I knew about who you were, Captain Wasser?", Reaper laughed heartily, not the condescending laugh, "Impressive. You're much more craftier than you seem to be at a glance. To survive the bomb that would have blind-sided even Morrison himself".

"I'm not a moron", Kyle snarled at Reaper, "Go on. Kill me. I dare you, fuck-face".

"Gladly. I'll be sure to give Tracer your regards", the finger began to ease on the trigger, "Goodbye, _Revenant..._ ".

"Goodbye... for now, Reaper", the bridge rumbles as Kyle sets off the charges.

With the bridge breaking apart, it meant hte ground shook violently in the process.

Reaper's shot lands right next to Kyle's head, and Reaper's surprise was all Revenant needed to kick Reaper away and to race to his feet.

The bridge began to break apart and plummet into the water.

Constables try to race off as Talon Agents try to do the same.

Gunfire stopped altogether as everybody tried to get off the bridge.

Kyle jumped and his thrusters activate; causing him to fly straight into the air momentarily before he begins to fly over towards Elizabeth Tower; where he could see Reaper's mist racing to.

Yet, as he did, he couldn't help but notice the distinct blue blur coming in from his peripheral.

"Cheers Love!", her cheery, British voice charmed the world, "The Cavalry's here!", her figure stood at the tip at the broken bridge; where she set down roughly 3 Constables before her focus shifted to him.

It was Lena 'Tracer' Oxton, the Girl who he had been seeking.

She stood there in all her beauty, not a second aged from how he remembered her.

Then, another figure roared as he watched a massive, hulking figure land beside her carrying what he garnered to be the remaining constables. He sets the Constables down before turning and looking at him with his bespectacled eyes.

It was Winston, the Hyper-Intelligent Ape raised on the moon.

He almost reminisced upon the past, and nearly wanted to greet them with a smile. Yet he stopped himself.

He was Revenant, an Angered Spirit from the past who has come from Death to wreak havoc and suffering to all those in his way until he was avenged.

A forlorn sigh escaped his lips, but he raised his voice all the same and fixed on the authoritive tone he used to have whenever ordering his Men, "Tracer and Winston. Agents of Overwatch? Weren't you disbanded?".

"We were, Revenant", Winston pulled his large Tesla-cannon from his back, "We WERE".

"Agents have been recalled, Love!", Tracer grinned victoriously at him, "We're not going to let people like you wreak havoc! The World could always use more Heroes!".

"Perhaps it could", he replied, "But move aside. I'm not here to fight the pair of you... Not now at least. Little Reaper thinks its a brilliant idea to blow up the Elizabeth Tower and I'm here to pr-".

"You actually know it's called Elizabeth Tower?", Tracer looked amazed, "Wow, I would have thought you'd call it Big Ben to tick me off! Wait... are you having a laugh?", she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Wait, Reaper's here to blow up the Tower?", Winston turned around to the Elizabeth Tower.

He then came to notice the black mist floating frighteningly fast towards it.

Revenant nodded, "If you'd be so kind as to assist me? I may be a Terrorist; but I'm not the kind to wipe out a Monument such as that. I have my limits, and he's crossing it".

He was being honest. Even if he was called 'Revenant', he was still very much human. Kyle had his limits. While he was a terrorist, he was one who did have some regret over his actions, but is justifying it as revenge in a twisted way.

Tracer looked like she was literally about to attack Kyle, but Winston stops her by stating, "Reaper takes priority... Revenant is right. Even if Revenant is a terrorist; he isn't the kind to blow up a monument... Reaper is though".

"But he's a baddie!", Tracer complained, "He's killed all these... all these People! We can't help him, he's a Terrorist!".

"Maybe I am", Kyle replied, "But I have my reasons. It's not like I could do much as we talk. Reaper, however, can do as much as he likes if we don't stop him. So will you not be so kind as to assist me in beating Reaper out of this attack? I've heard you managed to stop him and 'Widowmaker' from stealing Doomfist's Glove. This should be child's play with 3 of us".

"We need to move quickly then. Revenant, Tracer, you two go on ahead and occupy Reaper. I'll provide aid while I'm here and I'll come over to assist as soon as possible, understood?".

"Sounds good to me, Winston", Kyle lands next to Tracer momentarily.

He winced before leaning down and pulling out a few bullets that was embedded in him, "... Had a scuffle with him, haven't you?", Tracer asked as she watched.

"You could say that", he leaned back up, "Are you ready, Love?".

"Let's stop him!", Tracer grinned and took off sprinting; dashing with the use of her chronal accelerator as Kyle takes off once more and flies right after her.

They come upon the base of Elizabeth Tower to find Reaper planting the bomb with terrifying speed.

Tracer stopped when she spots Revenant raise his rifle.

Kyle uses one of his abilities; the Harbinger-Shot. The Anti-Material Round is fired swiftly from his weapon's underbarrel.

Reaper shifts into a mist and moves away as the bullet harmlessly goes through him, but ends up destroying the bomb's electrical components when the bullet smashes through without delay.

It deactivates the bomb, thankfully (Wooh! If it was one of those drama movies, he was sure that the bomb would have went off and wiped him AND Tracer off the side of the Earth!).

Reaper narrowed his eyes at Revenant and Tracer from beneath the mask, "Working with her, are you, Captain Wasser?".

"Captain Wasser?", Tracer turned to Revenant as she tried to jog through her memory.

"Old Habits die hard", he quoted his Commander, John Morrison in return, "But you know what will die harder? Old Idiots like you".

"Hahaha, I can't wait for you to die. You may have won the battle, Overwatch, but the war has just begun...".

Kyle sneered and fired a barrage of bullets at Reaper.

The bullets pelt through a black mist as Reaper's shotguns clattered to the floor without its wielder any longer.

Tracer... or rather... Lena turned to Kyle, who watched her closely, "Nightmare, is that you?".

"Guh", Revenant winced at the term, "Don't call me by my old name. Nightmare was someone who prowled in the middle of the night and attacked you when you least expected it. Revenant is the Spirit of the Departed returned to enact his vengeance".

"Is it really you, Love!?", she looked terribly excited as told by her giddy bouncing and the growing grin.

He lowered the face mask and removed the contact lenses from his eyes that hid his distinct gray eyes. He could only manage a weary smile and a slight wave, "Cheers Love, The Cavalry's here", he repeated her phrase gently.

She raised her goggles off of her eyes for the first time in forever, a dazed grin on her face as tears welled up in her eyes. She raced forward in a blur of blue before throwing her arms around him and gathering him up in a tight hug, "You're alive!".

He hesitated in responding, but he had history with her.

They were once friends, back when they were both in Overwatch. Even before she became known as Tracer, back when she was still just a test-pilot.

Hell, that's one of the real ways he came to meet her, but more on that later.

He hesitantly brought his arms around her and returned it, "I'm alive... I'm alive". Yet, it felt less like he was telling that to her.

It felt more like he was telling himself.

She moved her head back, but narrowed her eyes at him in an attempt to be serious, "You have a lot of explaining to do, love! Being an Evil Person and all isn't good! I hope you have a good reason!".

As he opened his mouth to respond, he stopped when he heard Winston call out, "Tracer! Revenant...? Why are you two hugging?".

Winston was behind them, so he must not see his face currently.

"Winston!", Tracer broke off from Revenant and waved cheerfully, "Revenant... it's Nightmare! From Overwatch!".

"Nightmare?", Winston ran through his memories rapidly and came up with the name in seconds, "Captain Wasser?".

"The very same!", Tracer spun Revenant around to face Winston.

Kyle could only manage another weary wave and smile, "Greetings Winston. I have a lot to explain in regards to becoming a Terrorist, don't I?".

Winston looked delighted for a split moment, but calms himself as he nodded firmly and seriously, "You do, but let me ask you an important question...".

"And don't think about lieing!", Tracer stuck her finger against his chest with a pout.

"Captain Wasser, I know you died when a bomb wiped out your Squadron. You were a Distinguished Overwatch Hero. Not known widely to the public, but well-known within our ranks... Tell me this: **Are you still a Hero?** ".

Kyle thought hard. It was a difficult question.

He has done quite a few number of things in the past that was questionable. Things of which, he regrets. Yet at teh same time, he justified it all as a grim necessity. However, all those years ago... He didn't go through with a dangerous plan that easily made him the World's most dangerous man for the few minutes of indecision he was at.

He came to answer when he realized that whenever it came to truely evil actions... he always stopped. Things that would never be justifiable, he never went through with. Perhaps that was a clue to the good in his heart.

Or maybe he was just a soft-hearted devil. But in the end, it didn't change his answer.

With firm conviction in his voice and the light in his eyes glowing brighter than ever, he responded truthfully, " **Yes** ".

Tracer and Winston both looked to each other for a moment.

Tracer grinned, "Well Love. We're bringing Overwatch back together! We Heroes will save the World, just as we did once before!", she looked innocently honest with her answer.

Winston gave a grimace however, "We are recalling all Overwatch Agents... If I had known you were alive... well... We would have tried to contact you. We didn't know, but now that we do... I ask you this, Captain Wasser".

" **Would you care to join Overwatch once more?** ".

" **Absolutely** ", his answer came out before he even thought about it.

Winston smiled. A happy smile, "... Then welcome aboard, Revenant. We'll discuss your past later... but for now: Welcome back to Overwatch, Agent".

Tracer hugged him once more, "You'll love the Base! It isn't as big as Headquarters, but Winston's made it a pretty neat area! You'll get to meet everybody again! It'll be just like Old Times!".

"Old Times... Right", he lost his smile slightly.

Yet, there was a new glimmer inside him.

Something he had thought he had lost in his years involved as a Terrorist.

Hope.

While there was a shadow over him for what he has done, a new light was overhead.

Overwatch could be his ultimate tool for redemption... and his only way to avenge himself without becoming a Monster.

 **Welcome Back to Overwatch, Kyle Wasser.**

 **We look forward to working with you.**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Idea of Heroism

He sat in silence with his hands carefully wrapping a bandage over the bullet wound in his thigh.

Tracer and Winston both sat in the cockpit to his right; dutifully working together to pilot the small aircraft to their Secret Base where they had allegedly begun gathering Overwatch Agents back together.

Tracer spoke up cheerily, "Everything alright back there love?".

He replied noncommittally, "I'm fine, Lass. Is everything in order in the cockpit?".

"Everything's working at optimal efficiency", Winston would reply.

It had been repeating numerous times despite Tracer's attempts to talk.

He simply didn't want to talk, that's why. He knew Lena from back then.

She was morbidly curious, he was more than sure that she would undoubtedly try to dig out what he had been up to the for the past few years since his alleged death.

He didn't want to talk about it. To anybody, period.

He didn't want to remember his days as an Extremist Leader. He wanted to forget his days as Revenant; the World's Second-Most-Wanted Terrorist.

Kyle Wasser was a kindred spirit during his enigmatic years of anger; wishing to have remained a Hero but found himself turning into a Monster as the idea of revenge took over all thoughts.

Thankfully however, time heals all wounds, and Kyle had the luck of being healed relatively quick.

He had his memories that shamed him, and he was not ready to share such things to Tracer or any other. He wasn't even ready to remember it himself. We'll know what he did during those times, when he's ready to reveal it to himself and try to remember his shameful years.

It was never a matter of 'Bad-Guy-Becomes-Good'.

It was 'Good-Guy-Gone-Bad-Trying-To-Find-His-Way-Out'.

That was why he seeked out Tracer. It was why he interfered with Talon, and it was why he readily accepted Winston's offer.

Deep inside, the decision had been made long before he thought about it.

Once a Hero, always a Hero.

That was the way of Overwatch at least.

He blinked once or twice once he finished bandaging the wound. He turned to Tracer's back before asking, "Where is this Base?".

"Nowhere for you to be overly concerned about", Winston replied, "Sorry for the distrust, Revenant, but I can't take any chances while we can't get the details of what you have been up to".

"Sorry Love", Tracer apologized in addition with Winston, "I'd love to tell you, but Winston's right".

"Fair Enough. At the very least, how far are we?", he discreetly opened his compass.

He knew they were heading Northwest, but he needed to know how much further it would be.

"Probably about an Hour's Flight left, Love!", Tracer hits a few buttons on the panels before smiling back to him, "We'll be there in no time!".

He's been on board for roughly 2 Hours. Taking the speed of the aircraft into account and the general direction its heading, he could garner a guess that the Base was probably located in Iceland. Yet he could be wrong. They might already be at Greenland by this point and we wouldn't even know.

He was patient however.

Winston spoke up this time, and asked him, "Captain Wasser... Why did you become a Terrorist?".

He paused and narrowed his eyes angrily at Winston's back.

How dare he ask such a question in such a place like this! They had only just come to meet again, and weren't even close enough for him to share such details with, yet he expects an answer from him!

Kyle huffed indignantly, "A Man without a cause is a dangerous man indeed. Become the Mentor of a Man and betray him in the end; and you will have made a dangerous adversary. I will offer nothing more than that until I feel ready to. Just because I'm a Former-Terrorist, doesn't mean I'm proud of what I have done".

Winston glanced at Tracer.

Tracer had to take a moment to appease him before Winston angered Kyle any further, and even then she couldn't help but give a slight stutter, "S-Sorry Love, Winston's just worried for you, you know? Years doing what you did... it couldn't have been easy".

Lena understood him a lot better than Winston since she knew him from her days as a Test Pilot.

"I'm grateful", he dismissively sighed and shook his head, "Forgive me, I'm still on edge after my little encounter with Reaper".

Winston stole a glance at him,"You seem to have history with Reaper".

Revenant, or rather, Kyle frowned and growled, "You're goddamn right I do. I owe that fucker a few goddamn bombs and bullets".

"You two must be rivals then" Winston mused, turning away as he did.

"You're not too far off", Kyle replied, "We have history. You do too with Reaper, don't you?".

"We certainly do", Winston frowned in kind.

There's a brief silence.

"So...", Tracer broke the silence once more, "What made you join us?".

"Excuse me, Lena?", he raised his eyebrow.

He realized that he may as well get changed.

Taking his personal duffel-bag off the floor from his feet and placing it into the seat next to him, he began taking off his armour by starting off with the leg-guards.

"Well, Love", Tracer shifted in her seat before flashing him a quick smile, "You said so yourself that you were once a Man without a cause. I was simply curious; did finding us give you a cause? Or was it something else?".

"A bit of both", he replied nonchalantly with the best poker face he could manage, "While I won't deny that the idea of working for Overwatch again is welcoming; I won't deny that part of the attraction comes from working with those I once worked with once again".

"It's because we're friends, right?", Tracer poked her head out from her seat with a hopeful expression in her eyes.

"... I...", he paused before nodding, "Yes, I do like to believe we are friends, if not, WERE friends".

"Of course we're friends!", Tracer looked offended that he even suggested otherwise.

He pulled off the metal plating along his left shin as he raised his eyebrow to her, "Well sorry, I hadn't expect you to still consider me your friend despite the fact that I turned out to be a Known Terrorist".

"Even then", Tracer grinned calmly, "You went as far as to reach out to me and became friends with me when I had first joined Overwatch. You were the first person I ever met, and you were the only one who went as far as he could with the gesture. You know what they say: First Impressions count!".

"It seems so", he cocked his eyebrow at her as he removed the plating on his right shin, "Though I'm surprised Winston didn't simply smash me and ask questions later. He was rather calm despite facing off against an Adversary such as myself".

"I trust Tracer to lead the way", Winston replied, "While I may be a Scientist; Tracer tends to play Offensively. If she isn't attacking and instead watching it, chances are I should be doing the same".

"Even when it was a Terrorist?".

"Especially when it's a Terrorist", the Ape looked back at him, "And stop calling me an Ape inside your head. I'm a Scientist".

Excuse me, 'the Scientist looked back at him'.

Kyle coughed uncomfortably, "Am I to not be given privacy to get changed now?", he began working on the plated and winged armour closely pressed to his torso, "I hadn't known I have become an exhibit".

Both Pilots swiftly turn away, with Tracer giving a nervous laugh in the process.

The Torso-Plating was a little difficult to remove, especially when he had to detach the wings and slide away the thrusters before thinking about removing it, but he manages.

He places the hunk of plating aside as he began working off the metallic bracers along his arms. Quickly, they were off.

He quickly strapped the little fore-arm touch-pad back onto his long-sleeve Uniform before sitting back down.

He glanced back to the Cockpit and out to the clouds.

They sat in silence.

Not a bad silence like it was before.

There was less tension.

It was an accepting silence.

He fell asleep.

...

...

 **Unknown Location; 1 Hour 45 Minutes Later**

"Pst, Wake up".

He groaned slightly.

He opened his eyes.

He should be in London, if his memory served him right. In an alleyway.

There is 40 minutes before he needs to be in position. He went to check his wa-

He stopped and blinked a few times to wake himself up.

Shaking his shoulders a bit, Tracer eventually leaned back, "There you are, Love. We're here!".

"Mm...", he grimaced when he felt the throbbing pain in his leg. He responds on reflex when he began to gather his thoughts, "Lena? Where am I?".

"Chin up, Love!", she grinned and pointed out the open door, "We're here! At the Overwatch Base! Where everybody's waiting!".

However, Tracer loses some of her energy, "Or at least... where everybody WILL wait eventually... I was the only one who has responded to the Recall so far... but that's alright!", she becomes infallible in her attitude once more, "You're part of the recall too love!".

"So I'm the Third Overwatch Agent to have returned?", Kyle asked.

"Uh... Yes?", she insists however, "But! You won't be the last, love!".

"I hope so", he stood up and lifted his heavy duffel bag with a grunt, "Would be a shame to not get to speak with Angela again. I still owe her my life for saving my ass so many times in the past".

"You mean Mercy?".

"That her name now?", Kyle raised his eyebrow before sighing, "Lord have Mercy on me, she has not improved her ability to name things hasn't she?".

"Was that a pun?", Tracer looked amused, "That sounded awfully like a pun".

"Don't try and trace it down", he mused to her as he walked down the small aircraft's ramp. He snickered before continuing, "It's almost like old times".

"Was there another pun in there?", she gasped in mock surprise.

"Two actually".

"By the Queen!", Tracer mocked surprise once more, "You're still making puns!".

"My humour was always rotten, so nothing was to be decayed during my last few years", he covered his eyes to blot out the sun as it begins to set over the horizon.

He took a cursory glance of the Base.

It was one of Overwatch's derelict and decommissioned outposts. He could recognize it as one of the Outposts created during the Omnic Crisis thanks to the presence of Watch Towers at each corner of the walled-off base.

While it certainly still looked derelict on the surface, the glow on his datapad (The Forearm Device) told him that there was a trove of data underneath his feet. That meant there was a facility below.

He watched as Winston prepared to place his hand against the fingerprint scanner to unlock the facility. Yet Winston stopped upon sensing Kyle watching, and instead steps aside as Kyle and Tracer join him, "Captain Wasser, if it really is you... Please hack this open".

"Why would I do that?", Kyle asked, "You could simply use your fingerprint scanner as how you originally were going to do...".

"It's best to be safe rather than sorry", Winston replied, "For all we know, you could very well still be an imposter. Captain Wasser could easily hack into any Network if given at least 5 minutes".

"And...?", Kyle raised his eyebrow.

"You have 2 minutes and 30 seconds to hack this scanner. Go".

Without another question, Kyle merely frowned and began tapping his datapad.

It was a simple enough affair.

His datapad was more than an adequate tool to hack the scanner. It took a quick breach of the firewall and the installation of a few data worms to dig through and cancel the security response. It took about a minute to type out a few lines of code needed to begin initializing the scanning protocol.

A quick 15 seconds as the scanning protocol intializes, he typed out a quick line of code that gave a false confirmation of identity to the Network. The network accepts it without much choice as it is overriden by 3 more Dataworms introduced into the network alongside a few spam bots.

"Access... G-G! (*$& !ranted. Welcome, Authenticated User", the Facility's glass door gave a hiss as it unlocks and slides open.

"That was precisely 1 Minute and 59 seconds", Winston gave an approving smile and nod, "You really are Nightmare Wasser. Welcome back to Overwatch, Nightmare".

"It's 'Revenant' now", the trio walked into the facility as the door closes and seals behind them tightly, "Nightmare was my moniker for the Days of War. Revenant is my moniker for the Aftermath".

"Aftermath, Love?", Tracer seemed genuinely surprised by his choice of word.

"The Aftermath of the World turning against itself", he replied calmly, "Hell, that was probably one of the reasons I became a Terrorist. No, I'm not expanding further than that before you ask", he pushed past Winston and got into the large circular elevator first.

Winston clambered on with Tracer following in last afterwards with a brief silence.

Tracer however, nudged Kyle with a hopeful grin, "Erm... Can you... You know...?".

"Lena...", Kyle frowned, "Are you asking what I think you're asking?".

"Well...", she scratched her cheek, "It's just...".

Winston asks for our sake, "What is she asking?".

"She wants to play games", Kyle responds, "We used to play a lot of Poker. It was sort of a traditional thing we did once every few nights to wind down. Normally we do it over drinks and just between the both of us with maybe one other person".

"I don't tolerate alcohol in the base", Winston frowned.

"That's fine", Kyle replied, "Water or Juice works. It's just a method to relax. I suppose I could use a game or two... or maybe three... or four... or five".

"So... we're playing?", Tracer's smile shined brilliantly.

"It seems so. Winston? Would you care to join us?".

"I have never played poker".

"That's fine, we can both teach you and you'll be great in no time".

"I suppose then, there's no harm in trying", Winston fixed his glasses as the elevator door opens, "Lena, you can take Captain Wasser to one of the spare quarters. I'll be going to the Central Computer to continue trying to contact some of the others", Winston left the elevator quickly.

Adjusting the duffel bag, Kyle turned to Lena, "Well then Lena? If you'd be so kind as to lead me?".

"Just follow me, Love!".

...

...

Lena Oxton, in the past, was never known as Tracer. She was never even hired into Overwatch to take it into the field as a Time-Warping Hero to begin with. She was originally put into Overwatch as a Test Pilot, one of the youngest in fact.

She had been the one to be hand-picked to test out Overwatch's prototype, first-of-its-kind, teleporting Jet Fighter known as ' _Slipstream_ '. What happened during the test, we know about.

The teleportation matrix suffered from a glitch in the system, which quite literally made Lena AND the Slipstream to disappear from reality altogether. She would reappear months later.

But could we even say 'reappear'? She came back a Specter. She could barely maintain a physical form of herself, and was left traumatized because of it. Time went by without pause as the Scientists of Overwatch mulled over how to help her.

They never found a solution to it.

However, Winston came up with the ingenious device that would prove to become the regulator of Lena's time-shifting, and would ultimately turn her into an irrepressible force of good.

Winston created the Chronal Accelerator; the device that restored Lena's molecular disassociation from time itself. Yet, that wasn't the beauty of it. The beauty of it came from the fact that the Chronal Accelerator proved to allow Lena to control her own molecular association with time.

She had the power to time travel to her own will, and it was a stroke of good luck that overjoyed Lena. It meant she would become a Real-Life Super Heroine. She would go on to become 'Tracer', the ultimate force of good that was the only time-travelling Hero of her time (Or Times).

Yet, no one seemed to really remember the details of the days where Tracer was still simply Lena Oxton: The Slipstream Pilot.

During her time as a Test Pilot, Lena Oxton and many of her fellow Test Pilots were supervised by an array of Overwatch Officers who were qualified to do so. She was assigned under Captain Kyle Wasser; a Prominent War-Hero from the North-American Cyber War that had raged shortly before the Omnic Crisis.

She became acquaintances with the Young Officer after she just so happened to begin chatting with him in an elevator ride. Shortly there after, they became friends as Captain Wasser began to show up and personally supervise over her training regiment in preparation for using the Slipstream.

Yet they didn't become extremely good friends until AFTER Lena Oxton became Tracer.

Upon becoming Tracer and being chosen to join the Front-Line Effort, she found herself immediately coming to Captain Wasser for assistance.

Captain Wasser, was after all, a Hero within Overwatch, even if he wasn't known widely to the world. His exploits was more than enough to make him prominent, and Tracer knew he could help her.

So, under Wasser's tutelage, she learnt how to use firearms quickly and began training with him regularly to help her optimize the use of her power. It became a common tradition since she would get the practice she sorely needed to use her powers, and Wasser got to keep his skills sharp by practising trying to hit her.

She learnt quite a bit about him, his sisters, and how he had planned to continue working for Overwatch if they were to continue their existence after the Omnic Crisis. Yet, it was cut short when he never returned from his final operation: Operation Epilogue, the Siege of New York.

She was told by John Morrison, Overwatch's Head Commander, that he and his entire squadron of 50 strong were completely eviscerated after an unknown explosive blew up the building they had been firing from.

The building was decimated, corpses were burnt and ripped apart by the fallen rubble, and in the end, they never recovered his corpse.

With a vain hope, she and several others convinced their superiors to mark him as Missing in Action until evidence came up that dictated he had died.

Yet she had no time to mourn the loss of his life.

The World still needed more Heroes.

And if one died.

You would get a new one.

From the ashes of the finished, came the new Generation.

With the death of Echo Squadron fresh on the mind of Overwatch, they fought back harder. They hit the Omnics with everything they had.

And in the end, the Omnic Crisis came to an end.

Yet, that wasn't their concern.

Their main concern?

Well, that's for another time, when it becomes more relevant.

Tracer couldn't describe the relief and joy she felt when she came to discover that Captain Wasser (Otherwise known more commonly as 'Nightmare' to the Omnics and Talon) was alive.

Ignoring that he had somehow turned into a Terrorist, she was more so overjoyed when he agreed so readily to rejoin Overwatch.

While she was infallible, she had her comforts. Friends of the past proved to be one of Tracer's anchors, more so when they're some of the only people in the world who worked so hard to save it.

...

...

Lena could only give a weary smile as she showed him the cramp quarters, "Sorry it isn't as big as it once was, Love. The base isn't that big".

Kyle, however, looked relieved, "Finally... an Overwatch Quarters... I never thought I'd end up in one ever again when I became a Revenant".

"You saw yourself becoming a Terrorist permanently, Love?", Tracer asked.

"I saw myself becoming something monstrous in my path to revenge", he replied somberly, "I thought I'd never sleep in an Overwatch Bed ever again because I would become a monster... I'm glad I had this chance. It means I won't become a Monster, at least not an evil one".

She watched him throw his duffel bag onto the small, tight bed and proudly put his arms to his hips, "Happy, Love?".

"Happy... Now there's a word I haven't used to describe myself in a while", he was smiling as he turned to look at her, "I think... satisfied, would be better. I'll be happy when I get my revenge".

"Revenge on who, Love?".

"An old friend of ours", he narrowed his eyes and a feeling of anger exuded from him, " **Reaper** ".

"... Enemies with him, Captain?", she asked.

"Don't call me Captain", Kyle sighed, "That's in the past. For now, I'm still Revenant... Maybe when the World is ready for me once more...", he turned around and shut off the lights as he exited into the hall with her, "... But yes, we're Enemies. Rivals to some extent too".

They began to walk together once more.

Tracer lifted up her goggles and turns back into Lena (I suppose for our sake, whenever she lifts up her goggles, she becomes Lena Oxton).

Lena nudged him before asking, "How did you get the Armour?".

"What armour?", Kyle asked, pretending to be oblivious.

"The Archangel Prototype Armour", she replied, " **Torbjörn** made it with the intent of it being an alternate suit for another Mercy-Like-Medic. Yet it's in your hands...".

"Lets just say shortly after the bombs went off. I managed to make away with the Prototype", he answered ambiguously with hidden reasons, "I outfitted it to become an Offensive Suit. Not hard since the basic propulsion system was there; it was a matter of filling the empty space and putting in the new lines of code".

"Where did you learn to code anyways?", Lena asked him as they turn the corner of the deserted halls, "You became the Cyber-Warfare Specialist so quickly...".

"I'll just leave it with something to do with my Father", he coughed with a slight grin, "Doesn't matter much. I type fast, code faster, and shoot the fastest. That's all there is".

"Do you think you could out-draw Jesse, Love?", she asked.

"Who knows?", he asked, "McCree and I have stood off in the past, but we never exchanged a bullet. Perhaps I can. Perhaps I can't".

"You've stood off against Jesse?", Lena gasped, "Why?".

"Lets just say he didn't like Revenant", Kyle avoided giving a full answer, "Come on. We don't have forever. Winston should be finishing up his transmission now...".

...

...

 **The Broadcast Center; Watchpoint: Northern Atlantic**

Winston gave a grin of approval as he saved the file of his recall message. He stood out of his chair and turned around to find Kyle and Lena at the doorway.

Kyle cocked his eyebrow, "How did it go, Winston?".

"It appears that the script was of no use", Winston sighed before smiling and pressing his glasses up a little, "But I'm sure that our fellow agents will take up the call. We can't let the world keep going the way it is".

"The World's walking itself into the next Omnic Crisis", Kyle echoed Winston's thoughts outloud despite Winston never saying anything, "Say... Let me send out a message. It'll reach out to the others, especially when they discover that I'm alive".

"If you're insisting...", Winston paused, "Perhaps me and Lena can stand beside you? It would certainly reach out to most of our fellow agents to see us 3 banding together...", he smiled, "As Heroes of Overwatch once more".

"I like it", he smiled earnestly.

"Well? Take a seat and begin recording once you're ready", Winston gestured to the chair and took up Kyle's left.

Lena brought down her goggles and stood his right.

He sat down and fussed about his appearance before settling in. He hovered his finger over the button... yet he hesitates in pressing it.

Why was he being allowed to even send out a message to Overwatch Agents to recall them to service? He WAS a Terrorist, a **Revenant** intent on killing anything in his way until he got his revenge. Yet here he was, a Machination of Death, sitting at a computer terminal preparing to send a message to call out to Heroes to help end all the havoc and chaos that was brewing in the world.

He was literally working to make chaos, and was suddenly working to stop it. Why wasn't Lena sending out the message?

Why did he even want to make a message?

Why would a Terrorist ever send out a message to call out to Her-.

No.

He stopped himself.

He _wasn't_ a Terrorist. He knew that as a fact.

He was a **Revenant** , not a Terrorist. There was a distinct difference. He had a reason to do what he did. He didn't do it in the name of some religion nor did he do it out of pure evil. He was tearing the world asunder to get the revenge he hungrily sought in the name of vengeance.

Yet, when given the alternative of a more productive and peaceful method of finding vengeance, he took it.

Did that nullify the fact that was a Revenant?

No, it didn't.

He would always be a Revenant until the day Gabriel Reyes was six feet under and filled with the bullets of his gun.

So perhaps there was a sense of rightness to be the one sending the message, he realized.

He was a Revenant, a Ghost of the past returned to slay the one that had killed him.

He was going to send out a message calling together the Agents of Overwatch; Agents of an Organization that was destroyed because of the bitterness of Gabriel Reyes in regards to John Morrison's High-Command position.

He was reuniting a dead organization in order to stoke the fires of vengeance to gain useful allies that could potentially aid him in his soon-to-be Heroic and Bloody Saga in his plans to kill Reaper.

So there was a sense of rightness to it.

He realized it himself.

He wasn't evil, since he was good, but he definitely wasn't a Hero in hindsight.

At least that's what he thinks now that he evaluated it.

His main concern was to get revenge on Reaper no matter the cost. If innocents had to die, then that was the way to do it. Yet working for Overwatch meant trying to protect the World.

Would that not make him a Hero?

He casted himself into a cycle of doubt and reassurance.

Yet again, wouldn't working to protect the world, also count as undermining Gabriel's efforts with Terrorist Groups to destabilize it also count as a sort of Revenge?

Maybe that was what it was.

A way of getting revenge without cutting down those that doesn't deserve it.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a little out of place to be doing such a thing.

Surely Tracer would be a better candidate if they were sending out a messa-.

"Love, are you alright?", Tracer's voice broke him out of his inner thoughts as he jumped at the sound of her voice, "You've been sitting there silently for the past 5 minutes...".

"I was just thinking", he replied off handedly.

He pressed the record button and took a deep breath.

He stared into the camera, putting as much conviction as he could into his eyes while he did.

He began to talk.

"Former Agents of Overwatch and Old Friends of an older time. This, is Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser, otherwise known famously for my moniker of 'Nightmare'.

Most of you may know my name for being one of the many Heroes who died during the Omnic Crisis, in a sacrifice to give the World Peace. Some of you may even know me for being the first victim to the Overwatch Civil War, the very same inner-battle that tore our Family apart and took the lives of Heroes who had brought an age of peace to the World.

I sit here today, back from the grips of death, to bid you all a calling. A calling to justice, and a calling to Heroics once more. The World is in chaos. People starve and die as the Corrupt Tyrants in the Government and Madmen run free to cause havoc to the World. Omnics die unfairly after gaining independence due to the narrow-sightedness and actions of Madmen who wish to see them destroyed.

Tensions run high as Omnics and Pro-Omnic-Right Activists clash with the Government and Anti-Omnic-Rights Activists. As the World fights itself, the world does nothing to stop the actions of madmen and women of Talon, Phoenix, and various other Extremist Organizations responsible for horrendous acts against the World as a whole.

I sit here today, not to simply call for justice and Heroics, but I sit here to call for a broken family to unite once more", he smiled sincerely and spread his arms to either side, "I sit here with Winston and Tracer, two fellow Heroes of Overwatch who have decided that the World cannot be allowed to continue its course lest it will destroy itself".

"We are...", he stops before trying again, "We are... Revenants...", he stopped altogether this time. He fell into a silence before he muttered out, "... I'm a Revenant...".

There was a few minutes of silence.

Kyle sighed and shook his head as he stops the recording and deletes it, "Forget it", he shook his head, "I'm sorry to have wasted your time, but I suppose I can't do it after all. I'm sure your own message should be more than enough Winston, though I thank you for allowing me to try".

"Not a problem", Winston nodded curtly before asking, "Are you alright?".

"I will be", he stood up from his seat and fixed his sleeves nervously, "I need something to calm down... Lena, would you be a dear and please prepare tea for us?".

"Is it because I'm British, Love?", Tracer lifted her goggles with a smile and crossed her arms.

"When did the British take orders from a Common-Wealth?", Kyle asked playfully before laughing dryly, "Please? Through the power of friendship and Heroes?".

"Alright alright", Lena laughed a little and turned around before walking out, "I'll come and let you know when its ready", she hummed a tune into the distant hall until both Winston and Kyle no longer could hear her.

There's a moment of silence between the Master Hacker and Ingenious Ape before Winston asked, "Why did you become one?".

Kyle seemingly understood, "I thought I told you I would tell you when I was ready at my own pace".

"I don't want all your reasons", Winston replied, "But I want to know why you went down that road... You could have easily came back and prevented the breaking down of Overwatch if you revealed what Blackwatch had done...".

"... Do you know what it's like to die, Winston?", Kyle asked.

"I'm afraid not".

"Do you know what it's like, to watch those you had grown close-bonds with and someone you'd be willing to risk your life for... to die in an explosion that you could have prevented?", Kyle's voice was cold as steel.

"I... do not know...", Winston replied unsuredly.

Kyle continued, "You do not understand the pain I went through", he spat, "I didn't walk away from the collapsed building all fine and dandy. Would you like to know a secret? My left hand is paralysed but functioning thanks to Cybernetics. I have terrible burn marks from the explosion all over my left shoulder and I have a faint scar of where I was impaled upon my right abdomen".

"...", Winston was silent once more as he allowed Kyle's words to sink in. He asked him, "What happened?".

"I'm not telling you the details", Kyle narrowed his eyes bitterly, "But I can give you a general outline".

"A Blackwatch Team entered the building posing as additional reinforcements despite me knowing who they were. When I demanded authentication and threatened to contact Command to confirm their words, they opened fire on my men.

We slaughtered them since it was 10 Men sitting right in the middle of a building filled with 50 Omnic-Killing Men. Not to mention, they were stupid enough to be in the same room as me.

As soon as the last Blackwatch Agent dropped, the whole building shook.

Naturally, I ordered someone to get me a sitrep, and that was when the building shook again, this time the source came from one floor below.

I sent the Medic downstairs to go assess the situation, and not a second later after that word left my mouth was I consumed in an hellish inferno and explosion".

He frowned and turned away from Winston, his voice unwavering, "The worst of the explosion was the burns I got. It scorched straight through the armor and burnt my back to a nice crisp. Not to mention, the explosion sent debris everywhere.

A pipe managed to lodge itself into my stomach in the explosion, and I was on the floor for the rest of the situation.

A few more explosions occur on the different floors, and the building came down.

I woke up on the brink of death, with the Siege still ongoing. I barely made it out alive thanks to outside assistance, and i managed to recover by going underground. I couldn't go back to Overwatch, not when Blackwatch couldn't find my body. They started looking for me. Too bad for them, I was good at covering my tracks", he sniffed, "That's about the general idea of what happened. Most people assumed it was 1 explosion. It was many".

Winston slowly gave a nod a few seconds afterwards. He offered a small apology, "I'm sorry for what happened, Captain. If we had known...".

"Don't be sorry", Kyle sighed, "It was my fault to be honest. Gabriel never liked me because I was one of Morrison's Supporters. He figured I'd be a pain in the ass if I was allowed to live, not to mention the real possibility of me defusing the bomb that would have been planted at HQ in the future since I regularly inspected the base of my own merit".

"He couldn't go with the risk of me discovering the plot and ruining his ace-in-the-hole, so he decided to eliminate me entirely alongside my Squadron. A brilliant plan too, I won't lie", he grimaced, "I never saw it coming. I wish it did. Needless to say, from the ashes and rubble of that building, rose Revenants of all kinds.

I just so happened to be the worst of it. And by now, I'm the least mad of the Revenants in the wake of Overwatch's dismemberment".

"There's others?", Winston raised where his eyebrows would be located.

"Survivors of the whole sordid affair", he replied, "... Lieutenant Romana... my Second-In-Command is more than likely leading them. They didn't take my departure from the Team too kindly. Don't expect them helping us".

"They're mad then?", Winston pondered it before nodding slowly, "Yes... Perhaps any human would be after a betrayal of your magnitude. More so when they must surely be scarred for life and been declared dead by the world".

"Precisely", Kyle replied, "They're right messes if you ask me. I got off relatively light when compared to them. Half of them are missing entire limbs because of the building's collapse".

Kyle gave small little laugh, but not a particularly joyous one, "They see me as a Traitor, do you know that? They would butcher me alive and roast me in a fire if they ever catch me. Not to mention, they're essentially Talon's far-superior counterpart when it comes to direct confrontations and digital warfare. They're a Team of extremely skilled hackers who just so happen to be Former-Overwatch Agents".

"Do you know where they make their base of operations?", Winston asked in return.

Kyle shook his head, "They change every week. That was a little rule I came up with. I regret it now that I'll have to hunt them, but things happen and I'm sure I'll get the leads eventually".

"You'll hunt them?", Winston questioned him.

"Yes. **Hunt** ", Kyle repeated himself sternly, "They are Revenants. Only an Honest Death or justice in their hands will cure them now".

"They're not friends of Talon though", he further continued, "So don't expect the Revenants of Echo Team to work with Reaper or Talon. If anything, they'd actively hurt both Overwatch AND Talon if we come in contact with them".

"Tea's ready love!", Lena's shout reached the both of them before Winston could try digging for more information from Kyle.

Kyle nodded to Winston, "We don't need to worry about them for a while. They'll scheme for months when it comes to launching any effort against anybody. So long as we avoid 'Hotspots' that I'll tell to you about over Tea, we won't come into contact with them".

"Is that a fact then?".

"Nope", Kyle laughed dryly, "Perhaps they will attack us one day. It won't matter. It will take them a long time, and even then, they can't get past me without tripping my security software after I touch-up on your cyber security".

They went to meet Tracer in the common area.

The common area wasn't anything extravagant. There was a couch, a few small-flat screens on the wall in front of it with a few armchairs on either side of the Couch. A large tire sat alongside one of the arm chairs as a hanging one stayed in the corner.

A small bowl of bananas sat on the coffee table in front of the couch, and that was just about it for the common area.

Lena was sitting on the right hand on the couch.

Two Teacups sat ready at the table, and a large bowl of it sat at the other end.

The bowl was probably for Winston since Winston was a gorilla and far larger than Kyle and Lena.

Kyle settled into the left hand side of the couch as Winston moved his tire to the opposite end of the coffee table.

They both settled in quickly with Lena.

Kyle thanked Lena immediately, "Thank you for the tea, Lena. You have no idea how long it has been since I've had proper tea".

"It's instant, Wasser", Winston grimaced.

"It's nothing special, Love", Lena smiled grimly.

"You wouldn't understand", he laughed bitterly, "I haven't had proper tea in years".

"Did you not stay in a hotel? They surely gave you tea during breakfast".

"They did".

"Is that not proper tea?".

"No, because I paid for the hotel with skimmed money from the innocent".

"How does that change the tea?", Lena asked, befuddled by his logic.

Kyle smiled grimly before explaining, "The taste is different when you do something you regret to get something you need or want. This is proper tea, because I didn't do anything I would regret in order to get it.

This will taste good, because you made it of your own free will, and I had not stolen anything from anybody in order to get it".

He hooked his finger through the teacup before taking a tentive sip from it and nodding in approval, "To your liking, Love?".

"You remembered how much milk and sugar I normally put in my tea", he nodded to her with a firm grin, "You have my sincere gratitude for doing that despite never needing to remember it".

She looked relieved, "Wooh! I was worried I had forgotten! Is it to your liking, Love?", she turned to Winston.

Winston set down the bowl of tea with a smile, "Wonderful as always, Lena".

"Wonderful!", Lena clapped with a grin.

"Now then", Kyle leaned forward and caught both of Winston and Lena's attention.

"Who do we reach out to first?", he smirked, "Our Fellow Agents are out there. Winston, you know where they are. Now it is a matter of reaching out to them".

"Now there's...".

Yet Winston didn't get to finish speaking when Kyle's datapad goes blairing on his forearm. It glew in a brilliant red light as Winston stops and instead asked, "What's it up to now?".

"My Scripts have picked up Talon Activity", Kyle immediately frowned and brought his eyes to the data device.

 _SCRIPT ALERT!: 2 DECRYPTED FILES TAKEN FROM HOST PORT: 14214^! &%#& *T L0N_

He skimmed the files before he turned seriously to Lena and Winston, "Looks like Talon's jumping to do something else since we stopped them in London".

"What do you have?", Winston frowned and leaned forward.

"What do you see, Love?", Lena scooted over and peered over with him as he began tapping at his datapad.

He skimmed through and inserted a few commands that consisted of him breaching the firewall, crashing the proxy, clearing out the logs and then breaching the Ports themselves. He inserted a weird command that kills the attempts to trace him just as he fork-bombed the counter-hacker without blinking an eye.

He copied down the Talon Files from their servers with ease before he opened their systems directory. He deletes them and disconnects.

That should crash their servers and buy them time for about a day as Talon tries to regather their servers and send out their plans to their Sleeper Cells.

That meant the Trio would have time to react.

He skimmed some of the files before he mused, "I've got something... 2 Things, actually".

He sucked in a sharp breath before he began to comment, "First and foremost, an Agent of the name 'Widowmaker' is scheduled to assassinate the Indian Prime Minister to exploit the high-tensions between Omnics and Humans in the region", he nodded a few times.

"It's actually quite a solid plan", Kyle mused, "The details are a little rough, but it does cover planting Omnic Bodies armed with Rifles to make it a show of Omnics assassinating the Minister to cause riots and violence between Omnics and Humans. This could blow into a civil war if we don't stop it... or the Police could notice the calibre of the bullet not quite matching the make of the Rifle planted on the Omnics".

"And the other Talon Operation?", Winston asked.

"Reaper's going to strike another Overwatch Museum in Seattle. They're trying to recover Starspray's Cosmo-Cannon to try and weaponize it for their own use. Could be disastrous if we let them make away with it.

A Weapon of that magnitude spells disaster if they use it; thankfully it's a one-use ordeal. Still, I'd suggest we don't ignore this one".

"2 Operations and 3 of us", Winston gave a sigh of relief, "We can't let 1 of us take on Reaper".

"Fair Point", Kyle took a moment of pause.

Yet, he turns to Lena.

"Lena, you've faced both of these Agents before from what you've told me on the ride here... Who do you think should go where? We'll go off your suggestion since me and Winston have no experience when it comes to counter-acting Widowmaker".

Lena took a moment to think it over.

To say the very least, she didn't like the idea of facing Widowmaker again. Simply because Widowmaker actually succeeded in her assassination last time she tried to play interference.

She glanced at Winston.

Would sending a Huge, Jet-packed Gorilla up against an agile, nightmarish sharpshooter a good idea?

Then she glanced at Kyle.

Or was sending the Revenant, a feared Terrorist who happened to be something akin to Hell's Angel with incredible mobility a better idea to send up against the Agile Sharpshooter?

She thought it over a few seconds.

She went with...

"Kyle, I think we should send you to take Widowmaker on", she replied, "Me and Winston stopped Reaper from stealing an artifact from a Museum before.. I think we can do it again together. I think you're also the best outfitted to face Widowmaker with your mobility".

"Then I suppose I'll take her on", Kyle nodded, "Uh... do you, by any chance... have a spare aircraft?".

"... We have a Fighter Plane", Lena replied unsuredly, "I don't think it's operational though...".

"Wonderful!", Kyle clapped, "I'll fix it right up for my own journey to India. You both will take the airship to Seattle to stop Reaper. We can discuss the matter of the others once we go see that each Talon Operation is foiled, is that fine?".

"Works with me", Winston began sipping his tea once more.

"Let's do it, Love!", Lena cheered with a fist pumped into the air.

Kyle chided her, "Save your energy and drink your tea. It's getting cold".

Lena settled down with a sigh, "Yes, Nightmare".

"Revenant", he corrected her.

"Wasser", she chimed.

"Kyle", he frowned.

"Love", she victoriously grinned before she began to drink her tea.

Kyle gave a sigh of defeat before turning to Winston, "You have my sympathies for babysitting her yourself".

"I'm not a baby!", Lena gasped in surprise before turning to Winston, "You weren't babysitting me!".

"You needed someone to, though", Winston laughed.

"That would have been my job too", Kyle laughed with Winston.

Lena sagged, "You two are mean-spirited... You're so rude...".

Kyle laughed again to her comment before shaking his head with a light smile, "Cheer up, Lass. The World could always use more Heroes. If you need a babysitter, it just means more people to be influenced by your energy that in turn makes them a Hero.

You're the World's Favourite Overwatch Hero after all".

"That's not true...", Lena tried to be modest. However, her curiosity wins, "Am I?".

"Absolutely", Kyle chuckled, "Every Child ever: 'Oh wow! I love Tracer!'. You're also the most recognizable, you sneaky little Bugger, you".

"Hah!", she grinned and planted her hands at her hips, "I AM the World's most famous Hero", she basked in the title.

Winston chuckled, "You're not the only Hero, Lena".

"That's true!", she used a chronal dash and wrapped Winston in a hug, "You're a Hero!", she dashed again and had her arms around Kyle this time, "You're a Hero too!".

"A Work-In-Progress", Kyle gently bumped her nose with his finger to get her off him in a manner that didn't harm their friendly relationship nor would it be a sign of being flustered by her attention, "While I appreciate you already calling me as such, I need to earn that title. My Karma's fairly shite right now, so you both will have to help me make it up".

"You could help me in my lab after you get back", Winston rubbed his chin, "I have a big list of prototypes I need programmed and I need to speed things along... You're the fastest coder I can think of".

"I suppose I could help", Kyle shrugged.

"I need somebody to help me clean up my Quarters", Lena grinned, "You'll have to help me", she didn't seem to think anything was wrong with her request.

Kyle raised her eyebrow, "Oh? I wonder what dirty secrets you hide in your room, Lena", he grinned in a faux lewd smile.

"None", she grinned before becoming serious to ponder, "... Actually, I think theirs a lot of dust and food crumbs under the bed", she smiled shyly, "That's my dirty secret... Please be gentle".

Kyle looked pole-axed.

There's an awkward silence as Kyle attempts to recover from his shock over Lena's use of words.

Kyle doesn't recover.

He looks just about ready to start foaming at the mouth and to enter into an epileptic seizure. Lena's shy looks weren't helping it either.

Winston though, comes in and saves the day with a discreet cough, "Well then, Kyle? What else can you tell us about the force attacking the Museum?".

Kyle recovers with that excuse, and nodded quickly before opening his datapad.

"Well, let's start with this.

There will be roughly 12 Men alongside with Reaper and an unknown unit that would...".

Kyle fell into an explanation with Winston and Lena listening closely.

 **The gears were in motion as Revenant prepared for his debut to work for Overwatch.**

 **His Mission: Prevent the Assassination of the Indian Prime Minister by Widowmaker at all costs.**

 **...**

 **...**

 **Author's Note - Apologies if it took a while for getting this Second Chapter out. Recently, a Beta Reader and Fellow Fanfiction Reader/Writer: Razer Sky, had come forward and requested to become the Beta Reader for the Story. We took a bit of time to get the details smoothed out, not to mention we have our own lives to tend to!  
Exams and the idea of having an Editor did play a role in the delay, and I do give an apology for it.  
**

 **Other than that, I hope you enjoyed, and hope you'll be reading the next Chapter!  
**

 **Au Revoir!**

 **-Goodnames-alltaken**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Pathways of Destiny

**New Delhi, India; 12:32PM, Local Time**

He watched the Prime Minister's Security Detail closely as he hid in the Hotel Room nearby that he had bought out for the day. It was the only location that was inconspicuous enough so that he couldn't be easily seen, but also proved to be in such an open position that he could see every rooftop nearby that served as suitable sniping positions.

He got a general appearance description of 'Widowmaker' from Tracer, so he knew what to look out for. Not to mention, a blue woman isn't exactly common either. Though, her attempting an assassination in broad daylight was a little surprising.

Was she that confident?

Or is something else going on?

He didn't have to think long.

He caught sight of someone crouching down at the ledge of a nearby rooftop.

His M4A9 was already aimed in for their head when he realized they were wearing the armour of the Indian Escort Guard. He lowered his rifle to notice someone go tumbling off of a different rooftop in the corner of his vision.

If he had kept aiming, he would have easily missed that event.

He dashed to the nearby window and glanced out to find another somebody thrown off the rooftop. A graceful woman appeared at the edge in wake of the 2 individuals who were sent tumbling off.

She seems to turn around before she kicked out her right leg and spun it a bit.

What the hell was she doing?

He adjusted the magnification on the Holographic Sight on his M4A9 to get a closer look at her.

A thin, hard-to-see wire mesh was entwined around her leg from what he can see.

She leaps off and he adjusts his aim to keep eyes on her.

His Fast-Acquisition-System maintained an off-lock onto her signature, which meant it adjusted the magnification accordingly whenever he shifted his aim.

It wasn't a FTS (Which was something Soldier 76 possessed. FTS: Fast-Targeting-System), so his rifle doesn't automatically aim for him to just fire (Not to mention it wasn't a Pulse-Rifle).

Small hints of smoke comes from her leg as the wire's friction against her body-suit builds heat. She slowed as she began to take aim with her sniper rifle: Widow's Kiss.

She looked like a Black Widow Spider hanging from its web.

As the Spider watched its Prey struggle on its web (The Prime Minister at his podium); a Bat was watching its next prey with eager anticipation from its nearby perch.

The rifle's charge hit its peak.

He could tell when the Widowmaker leaned in close to her scope.

That was his queue.

His thrusters activated just as he raised his face-mask. He went hurtling out the window, smashing it apart with ease as he flew into the open air to the shouts of alarm, the rush of footsteps and the readying of guns.

He uses the Hacking Scripts he had prepared to hack the Prime Minister's audio system to break in and interrupt the speech by broadcasting his own voice.

Deepening his voice and lacing it with as much anger and malice as he could, he roared. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the New Age, I, am Revenant. The Angered Specter of the Old Age who has come forth to unleash my wrath upon the World who dared to stand in my way".

"I have come forth today,t o act as a beginning of a New Phase to the New Age", he spoke all the as he nimbly dodged the speeding bullets in his direction. He broadened his shoulders as he goes in to tackle Widowmaker. He made no deviations in his path of flight, and went against her head-on like a suicidal bomber. It gave Widowmaker a fairly easy shot, the only difficulty was ensuring that she would snap it off fast enough, "I will show the world that you are never born evil, but has evil thrust upon you", Widowmaker fires.

The bullet tears into his shoulder with the force of a train, causing him to strangle out a cry of pain. He settled for a blinding rage as he tackled Widowmaker.

The sheer momentum of his tackle sends them shattering through the window behind Widowmaker and also dislodges her grappling hook. The sound of the gunfire from the rooftop snipers and Widowmaker's grunt was drowned out from Kyle when he took a brute's punch straight into his face.

He goes tumbling off of Widowmaker, clutching his face in pain as he peeked out from between his fingers.

It was a brute that looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger pumped up on far too much steroid. He reached down and quickly drew his Revolver.

As the brute lunged forward to try and land another solid punch on him once more, Revenant fired off the revolver with the accuracy of McCree's showdown ability. With a gaping hole in their forehead, the Brute was easily avoided by Kyle.

The momentum of the brute carried on anyways, and the body goes tumbling out the window.

Kyle smirked down to Widowmaker as she quickly raced to her feet, "Trying to crash another party, love?", he imitated Tracer to the best of his ability.

She rolled quickly and easily picked up her rifle along the way before she tried to take aim.

Kyle used his thrusters and went flying out the way he came before dashing aside just in time to avoid a spray of bullets. He glanced over his shoulders and spotted the Rooftop Snipers begin to open fire.

He fired off his thrusters in another surge as he leaped upwards and to the side once more.

Bullets race along behind him as he began to duck and weave through the air to avoid the bullets of the Rooftop Snipers.

Did they not just notice him prevent a shot from Widowmaker!?

He dashed back and slammed his back against the wall, causing the bullet still lodged somewhere in him to grind against his muscles and spill a bit more blood from the gaping wound in his shoulder. He glanced down to the window he had slammed Widowmaker into, only to spot the barrel of a sniper rifle poking out once more.

He frowned and dashed past the window. Whilst dashing past the window, he got himself a firm grip on the rifle before jumping away from the building.

There was some resistance at first, but then he felt the resistance give away and a weight drag him downwards.

Widowmaker was still latched onto her rifle, but was frowning sternly at him as they begin to build speed in their plummet.

Kyle grinned underneath the face-mask before cheering, "Quit hanging around here! It's loitering!", before he released his grip on the rifle and allowed her to plummet.

He could see the Prime Minister being evacuated as he continued to fight.

Yes, they were still fighting.

Widowmaker wasn't out of the fight yet.

She easily fired off her grappling hook. It lands and allows her to begin swinging through the buildings as she raced to get into the next position to get an aim on the Prime Minister.

Spotting her swinging around as though she was Spiderman from the Comics, Revenant chased after her in pursuit.

He took aim with his M4A9 as he took chase. He began shooting at her as he soared after her; jumping off walls every now and then to give the thrusters a brief moment to recover some energy.

As she swung from her grappling hook, Widowmaker fired at her pursuer with her free hand using her rifle. Bullets fly through the buildings of India as the populace below marvelled at the spectacle of a Terrorist being pursued by a Former-Terrorist.

He spoke calmly as his voice continued to be broadcasted, "Even the most vile of men can be made into the best of them. I am a Revenant; the angered specter of an age that has long passed, but I am a Revenant of a good cause that has returned".

His thrusters begin to sputter out as they begin to run out of energy. He only gave a dull grimace as he began to fall. Bullets begin to pelt into the metal armor in his back as the far-away Rooftop Snipers continue to fire at him.

Widowmaker smirked victoriously as her Pursuer began to plummet to the ground; where below Law Enforcement were gathered to apprehend him. Without any more delay being affordable to her, she began retracting her grappling hook once she found a suitable building.

Once she got herself perched once more, she activated her Thermal Vision to find the high lighted target in the distance.

She finds the target just as they begin to be lead into a Helicopter; with Government Agents all around them trying to locate the shooter.

She began to take aim, not even caring when her peripherals catch sight of nearby Rooftop Snipers taking notice of her and realizing the plot and the mistake they had just made.

Only then did they realize they had prevented the wrong 'Terrorist' from assassinating the Prime Minister.

Widowmaker's cross hair settled onto the target. Right over that plump, stout head of the Prime Minister as he looked about, confused.

The rifle reached full charge.

The world drowned out all around her as she prepared to go in for the kill.

She slowly squeezed the trigger.

It was as the Spider driving its chelicerae (or fangs) into its prey.

India's fate was about to be sealed by her ha-

She gasped when she felt hands wrap around her and pull her back. Her aim goes completely off as her shot goes into the skies.

A dead bird comes fluttering down in its wake as she began to struggle feebly against the strong grip of the Revenant.

"Miss me, Love?", he grinned deviously as he heard the radio confirmation of the Helicopter leaving, "Because it seems like you failed".

"You won", she admitted lifelessly before growling, "THIS time", she headbutts him and sends him reeling.

She stood up and planted her foot against his throat before planting her rifle onto his forehead and grinning, "But there won't be a NEXT time for you". Revenant expected immediate death. While the old Captain Wasser would have frowned and fight to his last breath to survive, Revenant wasn't Captain Wasser. Revenant gave a blood-chilling grin that was screaming at her to try him.

Widowmaker would have been more than happy to do it.

Yet, she doesn't pull the trigger.

She instead backed away just as a bullet passes straight past where she stood. She merely frowned as she glanced at the Snipers before jumping off the building with a back-flip.

Kyle raced to his feet and grabbed his rifle quickly before he rushed to the edge to finish her off...

Only to find her in the distance, nimbly swinging away.

There was no point pursuing.

He gave a sigh of relief before giving the 'thumbs-up' to the Snipers nearby. He quickly touched his radio before thanking tiredly, "Thanks for the assistance, Love".

"Anytime!", Tracer sounded remarkably cheerful, "Wish us the best of luck! Tonight's the big night for us!".

"Best of luck to you then", he forced back a hiss of pain as he peered down to the streets below.

The Law Enforcement below were cheering for him, and he could only manage a weak wave to them.

He was originally being dragged into custody as soon as he touched down. But he managed to get radio contact with Tracer; who quickly stated that he was working with Overwatch. Kyle gave a quick summary of the situation and they urged him to go on.

He raced up the building just as Widow had taken aim and barely managed to reach her just before she fully pulled the trigger.

He couldn't deny that his blood was pumping with adrenaline. It was an incredibly close affair after all. He sat down on the spot and let out a sigh of relief.

He'll have to tend to the wound in his shoulder, but he felt great.

He felt glorious too.

The cheering below increased in intensity as Civilians begin to join in.

"Maybe I should change my colours", he laughed as the sun shined overhead to the cheers below, "... I think white and blue will be a good colour... A nostalgic reminder of the past".

He was a Hero.

At least that was how it felt.

With a mass of people below cheering and his held high, Overwatch had won a victory.

India would be the first to lose its hatred of the name 'Revenant'.

Instead, 'Revenant' in India, is now seen as a Neutral Party who could very much be evil... or good.

He felt his eyes droop, but instead of laying down to rest, he stood back up and slapped himself a little.

The sun is overhead.

His blood is on the floor.

His held was held high.

The people cheer below.

Overwatch was back for better or worse.

And they have turned a Revenant away from the road of ruin.

He stood back up and stepped onto the ledge.

The masses below don't stop cheering.

He raised a fist into the air and looked down to them. He cocked a smirk underneath the mask before he leaped off.

Maybe there was hope for him after all.

...

...

 **Watchpoint: Northern Atlantic, 24 Hours Later**

He adjusted the filter mask on his face before he continued to spray-paint his armour blue.

He decided in the end to repaint and change his colours.

Gone were the days where the sight of him in his black armour instilled terrible fear and dread into the eyes of his enemies and civilians. Now, there will only be the sight of him in a blue-white armour. The colours of which will enforce the values of Overwatch should it be oppressed or crossed in any way.

He liked the idea of it, but didn't deny that there was a sense of awkwardness to it too. After all, he's still more well-known as a Terrorist rather than being known for being an Overwatch Hero.

Yet, perhaps changing colours was like changing himself. By painting on a new colour, could it be seen as painting on new values?

He didn't know, but he wanted to believe that it was the case.

As he leaned back after finishing off the final plate of his armour with the last hints of blue, he sets aside the paintgun to look at his work.

It had the main tone of blue, but was decorated with hints of white every now and then. It was in the spirit of the old Overwatch uniforms, just with a more prevalent addition of white.

The wings in particular were more white than blue, and that was on purpose.

He almost teared up as he reminisced to the days when he used to wear the colours. The days of the Omnic Crisis, sure, but it was the days of his finest hour.

It was the days where he proudly wore that Overwatch Colour, because it meant he was a Hero for the World. That he was part of a good cause.

'Was'; he informally left Overwatch before it fell to the power struggle caused by Gabriel and John.

It's almost tragic that Overwatch died the way it did. By its own hand!

It was the equivalent of running, tripping, and impaling yourself on your own sword!

He laughed to himself at the image of Overwatch impaling itself accidentally.

Once he stopped laughing, he turned his attention to the datapad. He watched intently, "Alright Sweetheart... Do what you normally do, and I'll do what I do".

...

...

 **Port ID: 3CH0; Server Location: UNKNOWN**

' _Welcome, Authenticated Person_ '.

' _Please select your choice of Profile_ '.

' _Commanders_

 _John "Jack" Morrison – Commander of Overwatch_

 _Gabriel Reyes – Commander of Blackwatch_

 _Harrison Garreth – Overwatch Representative for the United Nations_

 _' Heroes' of Overwatch ( **Public** ) _

_Lena "Tracer" Oxton – Capable of Disassociating her atoms from Time; Limited Time Travel; Incredibly Popular & Famous Public Figure; Extreme Idealist_

 _Winston – Super-Intelligent Gorilla; Fluent in English; Renowned Scientist; Inventor of the 'Chronal Accelerator'; Raised in the Defunct Lunar Colony overrun by Intelligent Apes  
_

 _Reinhardt Wilhelm – Highly Decorated German Soldier; Original Strike-Team Member for Overwatch; Incredibly Strong; High Endurance; Holographic Shielding Technology; Leviathan in size compared to the average person  
_

 _Torbjörn "Torby" Lindholm – Swedish Weapons Designer (Overwatch Weapons Expert); Strong dislike of Omnics; Short in Stature; Capable of building Turrets & Various other Automated Systems within minutes_

 _Angela "Mercy" Ziegler – Swiss Nanotechnology Specialist (Leader of Biomedical Developments and Medicinal Use); Creator of the 'Caduceus Staff' (Stream of Nanodroids for Healing in midst of Combat); Highly Mobile; Possessor of the Valkyrie Emergency Response Suit; Extreme Humanitarian; Strong dislike of Violence; NOT A PACIFIST_

 _Mei-Ling "Mei" Zhou – Overwatch Head of Environmental Protection/Conservation; Armed with Climate-Changing Technology; 'Winter' Weaponry; Cryogenic Survivor; Non-violent_

 **Click Here for Full List**

 _'Heroes' of Overwatch (Private/Obscure)_

 _Jesse McCree – Vigilante Gunslinger; Unparalleled in Quick-Draw Duels; Unknown Association with a Tumbleweed that seems to appear whenever McCree quickdraws; Blackwatch Agent; Grim Idealist_

 _Genji Shimada – Vicious Swordsmaster; Capable of Deflecting Bullets and Projectiles approaching the speed of sound; Saved by Angela Ziegler; Body is made heavily of Cybernetics due to extensive damage_

 _Cilcia "Nem3s1s" Romana – Decorated German Soldier; Hacking Specialist; Incredibly Vicious in Combat; Capable of overriding a 'God Program'; Protege of Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser; Aggressive Tendencies_

 _Kyle "Nightmare" Wasser – Highly Decorated Canadian Soldier; Former Lieutenant-Colonel of the Canadian Army; Captain of 'Echo Squadron'; One of the World's Most Renowned and Skilled Hackers; Highly Talented Combatant; Excellent Leadership Ability; Capable of Overriding a 'God Program'; Incredibly Popular amongst Overwatch Forces; Abnormally Strong-Willed (Near-Perfect Score during 'God Program' Neural Override Simulation)  
_

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 _..._

 _I WAS YOUR CAPTAIN.  
_

 _I WAS YOUR PATRON.  
_

 _I WAS YOUR LEADER.  
_

 _LEAVE SLEEPING DOGS WHERE THEY LIE, AND DO NOT BITE THE HAND THAT ONCE FED YOU._

 _CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED, NEM3S1S_

 _REVENANT_

 _..._

You give a sigh and drop your head with a bitter smile on your lips.

This isn't the first time he detected your intrusion. It isn't the first time he stopped you from doing what you believed was necessary. It wasn't the first time he disappointed you, and it certainly won't be his last.

He failed you at the height of your power. But that doesn't matter now.

You have rebuilt the group from its ashes. You have cursed his name, and instilled a hatred to it amongst you and your followers. If he is unwilling to make the world burn to start anew, you'll simply have to burn him with it.

You were his second-in-command.

You were his only anchor to this.

Yet he dared to remove himself from you despite the hardships you both went through. He dared to throw you in the gutter without a second thought when he was the only light guiding you.

You thought it was the end, all those years ago with the bloodbath.

Yet he decided to show himself once more... branding himself as the True 'Revenant'.

He believes that he's the only sensible one.

Does he not understand that he's the only moron who thinks the world can be saved from itself?

Only an honest death would cure him. You swore to yourself when you saw him reappear; that you would be the one to dispense that honest death.

You were his second-in-command, and you were his protege.

 **You will be his replacement, or die trying**

"Do we have a target, Mam?", that's one of your most loyal followers.

You turn and smile the smile that has captivated them. The smile that a madman might give to someone sane. The smile of light that would only come from a Pretender-God trying to replace something very real.

You smiled at him, and you told him, "I do".

He may have stopped you trying to uncover his deeper secrets. He may have stopped you from burning the world down once...

But this time.

He didn't stop you from finding out where he's going.

You won't go there yourself, of course. That would be foolhardy.

But you suppose you could send some of your troublemakers and more eager fellows forward to interfere. They would kill each other for the chance to try and get some of his blood...

They won't survive of course. Even if you hate him, you give credit where it's due. He's hard to kill, and even some of your best men couldn't kill him if they tried.

He is still a Master of Combat. But he's mortal.

Oh, he is very much mortal.

You won't kill him, but you'll make him _bleed_.

Even if it means the death of others.

...

...

 **The Following Morning, Watchpoint: Northern Atlantic**

Lena took a glance at Winston before sighing aloud and asking, "Have you gotten a word from Nightmare yet? I thought he would have arrived well before we did".

"I haven't. Have you? You are far closer to him compared to me", Winston took a bite out of his morning banana, "I would expect him to have contacted you. Not me".

"Well, I haven't heard a peep", Lena scratched her cheek before biting into her waffle. She spoke with her mouth full, "Do you think he's in trouble?".

"Don't speak with your mouth full", Winston chided her before shrugging his large shoulders, "I cannot say he is safe, nor can I say that he is in danger. All I can say is: I don't know".

"Who are we talking about?", they both nearly jump when they heard his voice.

They spun around to find Kyle lounging on the couch with a small can of beer in his hand.

"Are you drinking beer?", Winston furrowed his brow, "I thought I strictly stated that I don't tolerate alcohol in this fa-".

"Fuck off", Kyle narrowed his eyes in addition to giving Winston the single-finger salute, "I'll drink as I wish. You may be smarter than I, but you are not my Master".

Winston snarled in obvious anger, "Watch your mouth, Revenant", he stood up and set down the banana, "You may be a Former Agent of Overwatch, but you are no Hero now".

"Indeed I'm not", Kyle sneered in contempt before turning away, "And that's precisely why I drink".

"Even though it's early in the morning, Captain?", Winston asked him angrily.

"Especially when it's the Early Morning", to prove it, Kyle downed the beer in one large guzzle. He crushed the can in a vice-like grip before throwing it effortlessly into the nearby trashcan, "I never was much of a drinker in the past, did you know that Winston?".

"Lena? Do you care to speak?", Winston turned to Lena.

Lena bit her tongue slightly, but nodded, "He drank, sure! We all did! We had regular guzzles, we did! But... he never drank in the morning... Never in the afternoon... Only at Night... AFTER an Operation".

"...", Winston turned to Kyle, "What changed?".

"Bitter Memories?", he laughed dryly, "Bitter Partings? Bitter Romances, Bitter Endings, Bitter Departures, Bitter Actions... all perfectly ignored with a Bitter Beer", his misery was apparent in the smile, "They say: You drink to forget".

Kyle slowly sat straight, "They're right", his smile faded into oblivion as a carefully stoic expression took over for him, "If I sleep normally. I remember. I dream of the days of how things once were.

I don't want to remember. I don't want to dream", he looked down to his hands, "... Sometimes I think back to my Lieutenant, and wonder if she was right... Perhaps everything ends with Death".

"Your Lieutenant...?", Winston frowned and tried to get a name.

Lena did first, "Cilcia Romana, you mean?", Lena looked genuinely worried for once, "She sounds awfully suicidal... You do too".

"I suppose we were", he stood up and wiped his mouth, "It doesn't matter. We went our seperate ways because I regained my touch with reality. She never did. God bless her pitiful soul, but that was the reason why we went our seperate ways: I wasn't suicidal. She was".

"I can't help but notice, Captain: That you explicitly mentioned 'Bitter Partings', 'Bitter Romances', and 'Bitter Endings' in sequences with each other", Winston fixed his glasses before slowly grabbing his banana.

He bit into his morning banana before speaking quietly, "... Is it related? Did you state those for a reason?".

Lena looked at him with an odd intensity that made him briefly consider his answer.

He went with honesty, "We latched onto each other because we believed each other to be the only sane people left in our broken group", he laughed dryly once more, "How wrong we were. We were easily the most insane; and we drove the others into it too. I stopped being insane when I thought back to the days of Overwatch".

"A little flicker of hope was born from it", he solemnly touched his forehead before raising his fingers towards the ceiling, "I thought back to the days where everybody saw me as someone who would stand over them... Someone who would watch _over_ them as a benevolent hero... Not some _Revenant_ with a first-class ticket to hell".

A grin slowly seeped onto his features, and Lena's features mirrored his. He continued, "I realized that I could still do it... That I could still be the one to watch over everybody. The Hero that still remains in the days of darkness. Do you know, why I was so popular in Overwatch, Winston? Why I was the Number 1 Hero for the Common Soldier, and why I was put into more active command duties than Morrison himself?".

"It was because I was very much a Man", he replied, "Morrison was too high of a rank for soldiers to connect with him. I was only a Captain. I wasn't someone who loomed over them, but I wasn't someone who stood next to them. I stood before them on a pedestal. I was someone they could reach out to, because they saw me as someone just like them".

"I wasn't super-cool like you guys", he laughed heartily, and Winston found himself smiling, "I wasn't super-intelligent. Hell, I was an idiot at times! Morrison used to rub it in whenever I did something stupid and I had to hand him the report!".

"I didn't control time either", he sighed and glanced at Lena, "Would've been cool though. Would have saved me time on the trip from my Quarters and Cafeteria by speeding myself up... Plus, I would have been so bad-ass on the field".

"I wasn't in high-tech gear either", Kyle tapped his lip thoughtfully, "I wasn't special... that was why they took to me so well. That was why I was so popular. I wasn't special. I was just like them. I was just so good, that they couldn't do anything BUT look up to me! It was like meeting an athlete who you knew you could've been like... That was how they saw me".

"They knew I had family; Sisters and Parents who wrote to me often. They knew I had friends waiting for me. And do you know what _really_ made me popular? **I never complained** ", Kyle smugly sat back down and crossed his arms, "That's what made me so damn popular".

"Despite being disadvantaged when compared to you big-figures, I never complained about the things I would be forced to do. I never complained when I destroyed a Titan Omnic. I never complained when I coordinated a Counter-Attack to retake Beijing. I **never** complained when I had to launch an attack on my Hometown of Toronto when the Omnics took it".

"They wanted to prove that they were just like me. That Overwatch wasn't driven by your Heroes, but driven by the Men and Women who made it".

"That was why Morrison delegated Massive Operations to me: They will only listen to me because I was the only one they could relate and respect".

"... That was why I wanted out", his expression softened, "That was why I never ended the world when we had it at our fingertips... It was why I fell out of love with my Lieutenant and why I went my own way".

"I mean, sure, I was still a Terrorist. I won't deny that. But Old Habits die hard. After working in a certain way for so long, I couldn't do it any other way. I was desensitized to the idea of killing innocents who got in my way. I was never evil in my mind: I was only ruthless".

"That was why I attacked and killed so indiscriminately", he shrugged, "I just... thought that it was the only way... I never thought about keeping people safe because I never did it for years...".

"That was why I was labelled a terrorist. I couldn't stop killing civilians who stepped in the way. It was why Terrorists labelled me as a Renegade! They knew damn well that I was interfering with their work actively, and that I was just killing Civilians because they got in the way!".

"Slowly though, I began to slow down my attacks. I began to reminisce more and more. I... as much as I don't want to admit it: I thought about..", he turned to Lena, "You".

"I wondered what you were doing", he glanced to Winston, "I wondered what you were doing too... I wondered about what everyone was doing...", he sighed, "That was why I came to London. I heard about you two stopping Reaper and Widowmaker at the Museum Heist... I had to come and see... I had to check".

"When I realized you two were bringing Overwatch back together... I just... it clicked. Something deep inside clicked into place", he looked at the both of them, "I knew that this was the way. The ONLY way. MY way".

He smiled a dazed little grin, "... I thought about what you had always said...

' _The World could always use more Heroes_ '...

And I realized that it was time".

Winston and Lena were both silent in awe after his monologue. They were amazed. Eyes wide, mouths slightly ajar. They stared at him after he willingly shared the general idea of what he had been through so recently.

I mean, sure, he didn't tell them any real details, but he still gave them a rundown of what went down. And... it was... amazing.

That was the only word they could use.

Amazing.

He had fallen so far, and he only managed to look up recently. He had only begun to take his first few steps towards the surface, where he could begin his ascension into Heroics once more.

He went insane. He tore apart the world. He recovered from insanity, and began making his way through the world once more. He slowly began to realize he was still broken. That something was missing...

He searched for that something. He found his answer in Overwatch's Recall. He found his answer in thinking about Lena's ideas. And now he was here. Here to repair the world he had helped broken apart.

And help to watch over it once more.

As he once was.

And as he believed he was destined to do.

Lena stood up and was on the couch.

Winston was soon also on the couch.

Together, they flanked either side of the quickly bewildered Kyle.

Kyle coughed, "Uh... Can I help you?".

"... Quite a tale, Captain Wasser", Winston cleared his throat.

"... Amazing~", Lena mused, "... You're suddenly very inspiring now, Love".

"Thanks...?", Kyle looked between the two of them.

Winston and Lena seemed to have something in mind...

What the hell was it?

Winston politely leaned forward before asking, "Captain Wasser... I have a request of you, if you don't mind".

"Lets hear it...?".

"I wish to send out another recall message. I believe... that we could use your story to inspire some of our fellow Overwatch Agents in order to get them to return to Overwatch".

Kyle immediately prepared to shake his head.

He stopped though when Lena opened her mouth.

"Wake up, Love".

"Huh?".

"Wake up".

...

...

...

...

"Wake up!".

His eyes darted wide open. His fingers went to his thigh to draw his Revolver. He stopped however when he recognized the face that was startlingly close to his. He groaned to himself, "Don't do that again", he sagged tiredly on the couch.

Lena crossed her arms, "Well I can't help it that you didn't wake up when I tried 10 minutes ago, Love. You just went ahead and nodded off didn't you? Didn't even give us a greeting when we arrived".

He brought his hands up and rubbed his eyes. The proof of his slumber was shown as the crust is apparent his fingertips. He sighed, "I was exhausted. Saving the Prime Minister was a pain in the ass, but I did it".

"I heard about that!", Lena grinned and joined him on the couch. She began to sing her praise for him and what had happened in her own operation, but Kyle didn't pay much attention.

He was far more intrigued by the dream he just had. Why a dream of such a mild nature?

And why could he feel the sweat underneath his shirt? Was it a nightmare then? Such a mundane situation a nightmare? So frightening that he woke up in a sweat?

It would certainly be surprising for him, considering he's faced death so many times without hesitation. Was talking that much more terrifying then facing Reaper in the field?

He swallowed his saliva when he realized: It was far more terrifying to talk then it was to walk.

To simply do what he always did was easy. To do what he did best: Hunt down those responsible for his downfall was second-nature to him.

To talk about what had lead to it though... he realized he was terrified of the prospect of discussing it.

Was it because he was embarrassed?

Or was it because he was unwilling to ruin Lena's hopeful view of him? Did he not want to risk spoiling her outlook in that he had a chance to redeem himself?

Wait.

When did her opinion of him suddenly become so prominent to him? He never cared for his reputation in Overwatch, so why would he care now?

He once shot up a whole cathedral just because he knew a Former Blackwatch Agent was inside, and he didn't even blink when he shot a child. Why would he get so nervous just talking about... well... himself?

Perhaps... was Lena the key to it? Was she the one thing he could have clung to, something that would have stopped him from turning into the Revenant that he had become?

Maybe if... if...

If he... and Lena...

No.

He barely held back a growl when he pinned his angers on something else entirely.

If Morrison didn't give him the task of guarding that damn flank.

If Reyes wasn't so goddamn hungry for power...

Maybe. Just maybe. That bomb would have never went off. At least... not on him.

Maybe his Lieutenant...

Or maybe...

Maybe Angela?

Nononononono.

He stopped his anger immediately upon thinking of such a travesty. Was he so deprived that he was willing to entertain the notion of having the bomb devastate and twist Angela apart rather than himself?

Was he simply that selfish now?

He bit his tongue and eventually gave up entertaining his imagination any further. If he did... he was worried that something terrible would arise from it.

Instead, he turned his attention to Lena, who was still going off on a recollection of the operation against Reaper & Talon's efforts.

She sucked in a deep breath before turning to him, "Don't you think so, Love?".

He closed his eyes and took a moment to prepare his bluff.

Don't worry, he could bluff like a champ.

Lena wouldn't have a clue as to what hit her. She wouldn't even realize that he had listened to absolutely NOTHING for the past 10 minutes. She won't realize that he forgot to pay attention.

With his eyes closed, Kyle nodded his head gracefully a few times. He tried his best to look as sagacious as possible.

Deep breaths, Kyle, think back to High School and that one time you played as Socrates for a Play.

Just nod, keep stoic, and repeat "Aha" and "I see" a few times. After a few seconds of being a sage... an Omnic Monk if you want a better comparison, Kyle opened his eyes and casted a glance to Lena.

She stared at him with a defeated expression. She sighed, "You weren't listening, were you Love?".

He dropped his head in defeat, "Sorry".

"Please be".

"I was thinking".

Lena could only manage a sigh before a smile slipped back on, "Alright Alright. How did it go for you?".

"Well enough", Kyle thoughtfully reflected on his work, "A little sloppy considering I got wounded. But better than I had anticipated since I expected far worse".

"I was worried that you had failed when you contacted me on your radio", Lena gave a little laugh, "I'm happy to hear that you did save him though. The World's in enough trouble as is".

"Yeah... I can tell", he thought about Russia, King's Row, and a few other Anti-Human and Anti-Omnic Hotspots, "The World needs to stand firm. Especially when it has new adversaries preparing to bring it down from the inside".

"Do you know something I don't love?".

"... I don't think so... It's a speculation".

"What's on your mind?".

He opened his mouth to speak.

He was cut off when his datapad lit up brilliantly.

Both he and Lena turned and stared at his datapad.

Lena cleared her throat and scooted closer to him. Pressing herself close and leaning over, she asked him softly, "What have you got, Love?".

"A...", he unlocked his datapad before raising his eyebrow, "... A Message".

He skimmed the message. His eyes widened and the feeling of excitement swelled in the pit of his stomach.

She turned to him, "... An invitation!?".

"Well... not quite an invitation", Kyle touched the bottom of his lip gently, "Funny though... I haven't heard from her for nearly a year now...".

"Who?".

"Ph03n1x", he read the message again, "She's a hacker. One of the best besides me. She's a Freelancer, gets paid, does the magic, and asks no questions. She employs me sometimes, and I employ her regularly. It's a symbiotic relationship thing... but she went silent for nearly a year now, so it's a little funny to see her suddenly message me".

Lena leaned over, nearly knocking Kyle down in the process as she whined, "Let me see! Let me see!".

"Yeesh, you're Childish. You're like my baby sister", he reluctantly showed her the message by moving his arm out a bit, "Won't make much sense to you, because this is a little... ambiguous... She's calling for help".

"She's calling for help!?", Lena gasped and was already on her feet, "Then we need to help her!".

Kyle didn't have a chance to argue or say anything. Lena had taken his hand long before hand and was practically dragging him off the couch, "Come on Love! She needs a Hero! And we're going to be there!".

She dragged him along speedily. He could barely keep up, stumbling and nearly losing balance countless times. And as annoying as Lena could be, he found himself smiling. It was fun. It was also like how it once was...

It was nostalgic... because it made him feel like something he once was.

 **A Hero.**

 **Maybe Angela's saying had some merit to it after all...**

 **Heroes...**

 **Heroes Never Die.**

...

...

' _Dear Revenant,_

 _I understand that we have not talked to each other for a little over a year now. I also understand that you probably took the assumption that I have broken contact with you or I've been killed. It's neither of those cases. How is the Winter in Greenland these days? It's quite odd for me since I can see the crows circling for the past week. Strange, isn't it? It's almost like they're waiting for something to happen. Though I think I've also seen something else over the past few days. Vultures... or maybe Eagles? I dunno, it's either a bunch of Vultures or some Birds-Of-Prey of some kind._

 _I hope you can respond to me soon, so that we may correspond with each other once more. If I'm lucky, maybe we'll finally get to see each other face-to-face. After all, I'd love to meet the infamous Revenant in the flesh._

 _\- Sincerely,_

 _Ph03n1x'_

' _Dear Revenant,_

 _I understand that we have not talked to each other for a little over a year now. I also understand that you probably took the assumption that I have broken contact with you or I've been killed. It's neither of those cases. (I am currently living in Greenland. In a Town along the Southern Rim). (I've seen bad signs over the past few days. Data and Electronic Communications that hints to people trying to hunt me down). (I think they're planning to kill me or in general, plan something ominous against me personally). (I have no idea what you are going to do). (I've heard rumors of you saving the Indian Prime Minister yesterday, yet I know you're the type to shoot up a school without caring). (Maybe you'll just pick up what I leave behind once I die or get captured. Maybe you'll just kill the people who killed me without trying to stop them). (But maybe you'll come sweeping in and save me. Stop the "Crows" from circling any further by picking them off one by one).  
_

 _(I can only hope that you will send me some sort of indication back). (If I'm lucky, you'll come... and maybe you'll do something)._

 _\- Sincerely,_

 _Ph03n1x'_

...

...


	4. Chapter 4 - Reminiscence

**Unspecified, Sleepy Town somewhere in Greenland; 6:49 P.M, Local Time**

He batted his eyes when he saw her enter the alley, "You're late. 10 Minutes".

The woman in question, who had long red hair and sharp green eyes responded, "No. You're early. 10 Minutes. Stupid of you".

"You were followed", he slowly reached into his coat. He carefully brought out a small cylindrical object akin to a cigarette, "40 feet behind. 2 Men. White Coats. One's hiding in an alleyway to your right and the other is standing amongst a crowd at the pub doors over there".

The woman, gave a gasp of surprise and tried to turn ar-.

"Don't turn", he ordered her with a growl, "You'll give it away. Just come over here... slowly Phoenix... just maintain the pace you did before...". She listened to his every word, fearfully obeying it to the letter. Step by step, perfectly timed inbetween.

She shook slightly in fear of what could happen to her, but it was hard to tell underneath her coat.

Kyle, the one holding the small cylindrical object brought out a small lighter with his other hand before pushing off the wall, "Alright, Phoenix. A pleasure to see you. I'll say it now and get it aside. You aren't what I'm expecting".

"I-I'm not?".

"I expected someone older", his eyes flickered to look over Phoenix's shoulder and past her pale face, "You are clearly fresh into college. I can see it in your eyes. You're scared of your life, something only the young or naive do".

"Or someone with some sense in them", Phoenix hissed at him, "Besides, I-I'm not afraid", her voice wavered despite her insistence.

"They're coming this way", Kyle leaned back onto the wall and lowered his face, "Alright. I know you're afraid. Don't worry. Slowly walk. Come to my right and stop at the 3 o' clock relative to me".

She slowly walked. She heard the sound of snow crumpling behind her. She stopped exactly 3 o' clock from Revenant.

She saw what he was holding, and realized it wasn't a cigarette. Yet, she didn't get to see it properly as he spoke once more, "I hope you did as I asked".

"You mean hack the power grid? That was easy", she felt a little at ease when he asked her, "Can you handle these two?".

"I'll manage" he ambiguously responded before he stared at her, "Now, don't' say a word. I'll do the talking. No matter what happens, do not move an inch, understand?".

She didn't respond.

A deep voice called out, "Hey!".

It was one of her 2 Followers.

Revenant gave them a cursory glance to get a feel of them.

They were still, not shifting in the slightest. They're confident. They must be hiding a weapon, or they aren't the only ones.

Won't matter to him though.

Kyle cleared his throat and deepened his voice. He responded with a voice that was deep and smooth, "Gentlemen. I can't help but notice that you two were following this lovely woman", he shifted the 'cigarette' into his left hand and the lighter into his right.

The Bigger of the Pair stepped forward came towards him and into the alley with the other trailing a little bit behind, "Oh, her? She's a friend. We were out drinking from the pub right over there. We came with a group of friends. They're still in the pub. We were worried she couldn't get home after all the drinks she had, so we both came out to take her home".

The fellow even gave him a confident grin.

A grin Kyle would give whenever he bluffed. It was the perfect shit-eating grin.

Kyle smiled at them and raised his face a little, "You know, you'd easily lie your way out of a Police Station with that sort of confidence. Hell, you'd probably easily bluff past most Overwatch Agents with something like that!".

The Fellow smiled and opened his mouth to respond.

Kyle cuts him off by dropping the smile and growling, "Too bad for you. I'm not just 'anybody'. That was a blatant lie. Tell me one more lie, and you're going to sleep and never waking up again".

He slowly began to raise the cigarette up to his mouth, flickering on the lighter as he did, "Now. Tell me again. Why were you following that woman?".

The Fellow, seemingly unfazed, repeated the same thing he told him earlier.

Kyle watched the Fellow at the mouth of the alley shift and reach behind his back. The closer Fellow took a step towards him.

Kyle levelled the 'cigarette' end toward the Fellow in the back before bringing the flame to the end that was at his mouth.

The closer Fellow laughed, "That isn't how you smoke a cigarette, you dope".

"This _isn't_ a cigarette. It's a bullet", Kyle gave a sinister grin just as a terrible bang echoed the sleepy town.

The bullet he held in his left hand exploded and fired its projectile as though shot from a gun.

The Man at the mouth of the alley gave a dieing gasp of pain before staggering and collapsing where he stood. Small drips of crimson-stained snow populated all around the corpse.

With a swagger comparable only to a confident pirate, Kyle flicked off the expended bullet from his left hand and ignored the bionic metal revealed in the shredded skin.

Phoenix triggered the hack immediately as soon as Kyle surged forwards. The lights populating the town glowed brilliantly for a few seconds before they all simultaneously blew out; plunging the town into darkness abruptly.

With punches akin to trains, Kyle drove the remaining man into the snow. With a fierce hay-maker, his nose crunched underneath his fist and a thick splatter of red met his hand before the man tumbled into the snow, unconscious.

He side-stepped in a perfect motion, which causes a bullet to harmlessly whip over his shoulder. He contacted Lena, "Give 'em the 'surprise'".

He didn't have to wait for a response. An explosion of blue and a distorted distance was the clear signs of the time-bomb going off on queue. He blinked and mused to himself, "Huh... her time bomb distorts light too... Wonder if Winston knew that... I suppose I best let him know when I get back".

He touched his earpiece once more, "Teamwork makes the Dreamwork eh, Love?".

"Team!", her voice cheered kindly, "There was 3 of 'em! I got them all! You now owe me 20 Euros when we get back!".

"Alright Alright", he took one final sweep-over the general area, "I'll be sure to give you 20 Euros... or give you something of an equal value".

"You better!", he turned around to Phoenix, who was staring in horror at the sight of dead bodies.

He walked through the snow calmly, and wrapped an arm around Phoenix's waist before forcefully dragging her along, "There. The Crows are dead. Or at least the ones that were close. We have a secure place we can talk properly".

She opened her mouth.

He silenced her by pulling her forward, "Move. With this, the Crows will come to investigate the additional corpses. Lets get out of here before we speak".

Into the silent snowy night they went, without a glance over their back.

...

...

 **20 Minutes Later; Outskirts of the Town**

"Get aboard the Ship", Kyle gestured up the ramp and to the Overwatch Aircraft he had taken to arrive, "Don't ask questions yet. We have pursuers behind us. 2 of them".

He kept his eyes over his shoulder and focused on the trees. Two silhouettes lurk in the shadows. Explicitly trying to writhe into his blindspots in particular. It's almost as though they were familiar with h-.

 _Revenants of Overwatch._

He could tell.

So it would seem Cilcia had sent forth another duo of eager-to-please Revenants who have come to claim him for themselves. They'll try to drag him back alive, contrary to what Cilcia says.

They wouldn't kill him. He was the one who granted them a purpose to live. Even if he was the Betrayer, they owed him their lives. His lieutenant would be more than happy to feast on his corpse, but she would be even more pleased if they forced him to return to her.

She would be delighted... and they want nothing more than for their Leader to be delighted.

He clicked his tongue and shouted at the Silhouettes, "Alright Revenants! Move another step and you won't return to Romana alive!". The mere mention of his Lieutenant's last name without the rank/honorific that she had instilled within the ranks of the Revenants was an incredible sign of disrespect to the delirious crew of manics.

Two Figures immediately emerge from the trees, covered in snow and wearing bad replicas of his Revenant Uniform.

Their uniforms were a mess, and a mockery of what he proudly wears as his own.

Where his gallant Revenant Armour instilled true fear and was the definition of 'deadly elegance, yet brutish', theirs was nothing more than a mere 'unrefined terror'.

Melted Down scraps forced into a basic and fundamentally simple plated-armour that imitated his. Wings of scrap that didn't work, and a complete lack of thrusters. But with their lack of maneuverability and lack of 'real' protection, they made up with their brute force and determination.

Where the 'True' Revenant was highly agile and a nightmare to fight, the 'False' Revenants acted as glass cannons.

What they lacked in proper armour plating, they made up with the sheer weight of their armour. You don't trim scrap metal that's been melted down hastily into plates of armour. Their armour was incredibly heavy and dense, and they can only be worn by those who have a will of steel.

The Revenants of Overwatch were incredibly strong. They either adapted to wearing the armour, or they died trying. It made their body unfaltering, it made them enviably durable. It made them living tanks. They were some of the only people who could move around in Revenant Armour.

They called Kyle's Armour ' _The Desecrated Will of Steel_ ', something that praised Kyle's unmatched will and criticized the fact that he was the one wearing it instead of Cilcia, whom they saw as some sort of 'Prophet' due to a lack of a better word.

They perceive it as Kyle being their Founder, betraying them, and stealing what they deem to be a symbol for their 'power' (If you could call it that for a Platoon of Lunatics).

Anyways, back to their armour.

What they also lacked in thrusters, they made up with armaments. Where Kyle's Armour was centered around being nimble and protecting its user adequately in the process, their armour was centered around making them bullet sponges and making themselves a walking armoury.

Attached to each arm, was a wrist-mounted shotgun/cannon that was capable of firing a huge spray of lead as though it was a shotgun, but with the force of a cannon. It was nightmarish. The sort of thing that would rip victims to shreds and making it a closed-casket funeral for the deceased (If they ever find all the tiny shreds of flesh left behind for those stupidly close to the Revenant).

Luckily, it wasn't common for most Insane Revenants to have 'em. He did know, however, Cilcia and several of his NCOs that now operate ' _The Revenants of Overwatch_ ' were equipped with terrible armaments destined to kill with such brutality.

What IS standard for the Insane Revenants, however, is their special ability to use a shoulder-mounted cannon that came out of the thick back-plating of their armour. Sometimes it was something akin to a tank's barrel: capable of firing out a large explosive shell containing grenades to completely decimate a large area.

Sometimes it's was an automated Gatling gun that was being belt-fed from inside the back-plating. Capable of spraying so many bullets, so quickly, that even some of Overwatch's Agents would be ripped to shreds if caught in the open for over 4 seconds.

He knew Cilcia and his Formerly Commissioned Officers had something even worse than the standard, but he didn't know what it was. He didn't stay long enough for Cilcia's pet projects to come to fruition. He could only garner a guess on what it could have been.

But he didn't like to do it.

Because every guess only made her seem more of a threat than Reaper himself.

Kyle blinked calmly and focused his pupils into pinpricks upon the pair of Revenants. He spoke with a voice, firm and authoritative, "I can call her as I please, you delirious lunatics". He scowled at them, "I made you lot. Have some sense and turn away before I undo what you've become and return you to what you should be".

"And what would that be, Traitor!?".

" _DEAD_ ", he narrowed his eyes at the term of 'Traitor'.

Why?

Traitor was associated with Gabriel.

To call him a 'Traitor' was the worst offence you could manage with him. To any Revenant, in fact.

He drew his Revolver with a ferocity that would frighten a lion. He fired off two shots like lightning. It was far faster than what McCree would ever pull off. It was something that Captain Wasser could never do.

It was something only a Revenant could manage; to do something that is beyond the common man. Only possible, if it was fuelled by anger. The word 'Traitor' was that fuel for him, and served as the fuel to end the 2 Amateur Revenants' lives without a second's delay.

Two brain-splattering shots later, and there were 2 corpses in the snow.

Anti-Climactic to most, but this was how it normally went. He never gave Revenants the honour of a duel unless he saw some reason otherwise.

He was huffing madly, a fury in his eyes as the word 'Traitor' still repeats in his head. Even as the snow turns crimson underneath the corpses, he fired off the remaining 4 shots in the chamber at the corpses before hissing angrily, "And stay dead this time, you insolent, pig-loving horse-fuckers!".

He spat to the side before he turned back around and continued up the ramp. He would have missed her presence should she have not muttered to herself, "That was... something else...".

Phoenix and Lena stood together at the airship's entryway, gaping at the sight of the corpses and him walking up the ramp.

Lena cheered, "That was incredible, Love! You shot them down faster than they could say 'Dead'!".

"Don't glorify my kills", Kyle narrowed his eyes at Lena and Phoenix, "Get inside, pronto. I want to leave this god-forsaken town and forget what I just did".

He was already feeling the all-too-familiar guilt of having killed his Revenants.

He was the one who set them upon this path of misery, death, and self-mutilation. He forced them to join his witch-hunt for Reaper, with the price being their sanities and lives. Instead of leading them to the promised goal of killing Reaper, he ended up leaving them for dead and then executing them when they came knocking for him.

It was messed up, and it was something he tried to avoid thinking about. Yet it was something that his Lieutenant would endlessly use in order to exploit his thinking. She knew he had a guilty conscious underneath the steel resolve and fearless bravado that made him so infallible.

That was why she would send doomed Revenants after him, to force him to kill them and come to terms with what he just did.

These were still the Men that he served with in Overwatch. These were the very same men who idealized him and put him on the pedestal before them, making him an inspiration to their ranks. He was the one responsible for killing them; taking away their lives without a moments' hesitation despite the fact that he was the one who had lead them down the path they took.

While he wasn't the type to cry over little kill, he was the type to silently contemplate it in rare moments of silence. It was the thoughts that made him bleed. He couldn't remove the realization that he was responsible for ending their lives in every way, and how he proved to be a Monster for such dreadful actions.

He was already walking down the path he feared walking. That was what he believed. At this point, if the Lieutenant kept sending more and more men, he may snap. Hell... perhaps if he was forced to kill her, maybe that is when he would snap like a twig and truly become a Monster.

Does that mean his Lieutenant was something he felt the most guilt about?

Was it because he was so romantically involved with her in the past? Or was it because she turned out to become a monster because of his influence? Was it something else?

He feared what he might answered, and was relieved immensely when Lena coughed, "Love, you getting in? The snow is piling on the ramp".

He sagged a little and walked into the ship, "Sorry Lass... I was just thinking was all...".

The ramp retracted and the door closed, sealing them into the aircraft safely as it begins to pressurize in preparation for take off. Lena blinked and stepped closer to him, "What were you thinking about, Love? You looked like a ghost on the ramp if you were thinking".

He immediately began thinking of what he just did simply because Lena reminded him of it. His mind raced as he thought of something to distract himself.

He settled for the first thing he sees.

That ends up being Lena's face. He stared blankly, with an intensity that would make a schoolgirl blush in misunderstanding. She looked around as though trying to find something he was staring at, "What are you looking at, Love?".

He was silent. Silent because he was too busy trying to focus on her in hopes of losing his former train of thought.

Now that he finally took a moment to truly appraise Lena's features, he came to an abrupt realization that he never really thought about before.

Lena was beautiful. He never really noticed since he never had a care for romance in the past. He was far too caught up in his duties back then, with commanding his Squadron, working with Morrison and discussing tactics with Ana Amari back when she was still alive (Apparently she was killed by 'Widowmaker' a few weeks after he died. He has no idea if Talon would have tried killing him instead if he wasn't killed by Blackwatch).

Her features were well defined and were positioned quite well. Not to mention, the freckles were charming in their own right. He thinks he could understand why Lena became so popular as a Heroine and as a person.

She was beautiful, both inside as a person, and outside as eye candy.

Though he might argue about the 'inside' part, Lena can act like a child in his opinion.

Lena coughed, "Earth to Nightmare? Are you there, Love?".

He frowned upon hearing the moniker of 'Nightmare', "Don't call me 'Nightmare'".

"Why are you staring at me? Is something on my face?", she abruptly leaned forward. She moved her face closer to his, as though trying to give him a better look, "There's something on my face isn't there!? What is it!? A cut?! A bruise!?", she gasps, "A... Spider!?".

He brought his hand up and slowly moved it as though to pick something off of Lena's face. He sighed, "There's something on your face".

She blinked, "What is it!?", she sounded worried, though it sounds an awful lot more like she was pretending.

Now, normally, this is the part where a cliche author decides that the Revenant melts Tracer into a kiss and they get all frisky-like.

Kyle blinked before smirking, "You have 'stupid' written all over your face", he flicked her nose.

She gave a squeak of surprise and dashes back in a blur of blue out of surprise. She was holding her nose by the time she stopped dashing, and moaned, "You're being mean! Un-hero like!".

His eyebrow twitches slightly, "Well, don't ask stupid questions", with his thoughts now far-away from things that could harm his sensitive psyche, he looked to the rescued hacker.

Phoenix was watching him like a nervous schoolgirl meeting her crush. She cowered underneath his gaze and was desperately hiding her face while watching him.

She whispered, barely a mutter, "... Aren't you... _him?_ ".

"Before you try to ask me of who I am", Kyle frowned and waved his hand, "Identify yourself. Real Identity, Profession, Age, and who you are working for".

"Why would I tell you?", she asked, red in the face out of either anxiousness or simply because she was flustered.

He glanced to Lena and gave 'the nod'.

Lena and Kyle spoke in perfect unison, "Phoenix, until further notice you are under the protective custody of Overwatch".

Kyle cleared his throat, "It may come as a surprise that someone like me is working alongside Tracer, but fear not for I have turned over a new leaf... or at least, I am in the process of doing so. Now, you can be safely assured that you can safely share your identity with us".

She hesitates.

Lena fixed on wide eyes however, "Please~?". That pushes Phoenix to sigh and nod her head slightly, but nervously nonetheless.

"M-My name is Valerie Graham. Canadian, and u-uh I'm a F-First Year College Student... I-I'm a Freelance Hacker... I've been paid by Government Officials and Terrorists alike for hack-jobs...", she brushed away a few stray locks of her red hair.

"Hm... 19 Years Old and already working with Terrorists", Kyle snorted, "You should probably stop associating with them now that we have you in protective custody".

"And 26 Years Old was quite young for you to become a Lieutenant-Colonel for the Canadian Marine Corps", Phoenix frowned and crossed her arms.

Kyle blinked, "You know who I am?".

"Every damn Canadian knows who you are", Phoenix frowned, "Lieutenant-Colonel Kyle Lazarus Wasser; officially killed in action, the Youngest Lieutenant-Colonel in Canadian History, currently the only person in the world to hold 'The Cross of the Phoenix of Terra' which is rewarded to individuals in the Canadian Army who showed incredible mental acuity in tactical combat or for showing exceptional bravery".

"You're walking propaganda", Phoenix continued, "The Canadian Army sings praise about you and convince civilians to join the army by stating they could be like you if they joined. You're the reason why my Dad joined the Military, and part of the reason why I ended up being moved to Greenland".

"I failed to see how I have any influence in where you live, but alright. I don't want to waste time. Lena, lets get us out of here and heading for the Watchpoint immediately. I think Winston will have a bead on one of our allies by the time we arrive, and we can immediately go on the move to pick them up".

"Lets!", Lena cheerfully nodded and immediately ran for the cockpit.

Kyle prepared to follow, but was stopped by Phoenix. Phoenix nervously scratched her cheek, "Uh... So what happens to me now that I'm in your custody?".

"We'll be dropping you off at our Base", he thought a bit, "Winston will probably have you help him in coding some of his devices or maybe he'll interrogate you for the work you've done for Talon in the past".

"It's not my concern what he does to you", he shrugged and began walking to the cockpit, "Rest assured he won't hurt you... I think... I dunno, hard to predict what a hyper-smart gorilla might do".

He ignored Phoenix with a final huff, "Whatever happens, happens", he entered the cockpit.

He sets himself to work, immediately.

...

...

 _..._

 **Watchpoint: Northern Atlantic, 4 Hours, 12 Minutes Later**

"Any luck finding anyone else?", it was the first thing he asked Winston.

Winston turned away from the computer screen, still chewing on a banana as he fixed his glasses and sets down the jar of peanut butter. With a brief swallow, Winston replied, "I'm still searching. I have leads. Particularly on Doctor Ziegler. Before I continue however, did you get what you were looking for in Greenland?".

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah", he glanced over his shoulder, unsure, "Wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but we found something suitable. I'm not the only Hacker we have on hand now. I'll introduce you to her in a second, but lets just say she'll be your Assistant in the lab for coding your inventions".

"Well then... You certainly didn't get what I would expect".

"What did you expect?".

"Weapons of Mass Destruction or Electronic Devices oriented around hacking".

"She could probably be both if given the right materials to work with", he shook his head, "No matter. What do you have for us then? I'd like to believe you've been sitting around doing something, not wasting time".

Winston casted him a sidelong glance before turning around and typing quickly onto the keyboard. Tabs opened up, with countless reports piling on shortly afterwards, "I've managed to compile a large list of different Military operations occurring throughout the world that could use Overwatch Assistance".

"I hate pointing out the obvious here", Kyle frowned, "We're undermanned... There's 3 of us. 2 technically, since someone always have to remain at the base now that we have a non-Overwatch Agent present".

"Right, someone needs to remain behind to watch them... I believe that will be my job since you said they can be of assistance with my work".

"Seems like it... Well, I suppose you can go ahead and get yourself acquainted with our newest Hacker. We can discuss our plans at the Evening Meal where Lena and I can hear out our options and come to an agreement".

"That's fine. In any case, I suppose I have nothing else for you", Winston rubbed his chin before picking up the jar of peanut butter once more, "I'll be sure to drop by to our new... 'recruit' once I'm finished here".

"Wonderful. I owe Lena a bet, so I will be at her quarters should you need me".

"Understood Revenant. Behave".

"I'll certainly try", he noncommittally responded before leaving.

After a few minutes of traversing the halls, he found Lena's quarters and rapped against the door gently. The door opened quickly thereafter, and Lena greeted him with the ever-prevalent grin of hers, "There you are, Love! I was just waiting for you! Come in!".

She stepped aside and grandiosely motioned him in. He obliged with a hesitant step into the room. "I haven't been in your quarters for years", his voice sounded nostalgic, "... It's barely changed... You're such a Hero worshipper".

"What are you talking about?", she tries to shrug it off.

Kyle snorted derisively, "You still kept the Overwatch Charity Posters. My mind is blown. Why that one of all the other ones though? People agree that some of the other ones are better since they show more of the mainstream Heroes".

"Sure, there are other posters with better pictures of equally deserving Heroes", Lena took a moment to think, "Doomfist's Poster is a good one. Commander Morrison & Commander Reyes's poster too. But this is one of the only posters that show the Heroes that are the driving force of Overwatch...

Heroes like YOU, Love".

He blinked and walked up to the poster over her bed. He leaned in and looked through the countless rows of faces belonging to the common Men and Women of Overwatch. So many faces, all lined up and posing.

Some silly, some cheerful and in the arms of comrades in arms. Some serious, others grimace. Few looked hungry, but 51 looked proud.

51.

51 Members of 'Echo Squadron', the Ones who dominate the center and front of the Poster.

He spoke softly, almost melancholic in tone, "... Echo Squadron...".

51 Faces.

1 Captain, his face with a grin that was befitting to an Actor in a Movie Poster rather than a Charity War-Poster.

1 Lieutenant with a grin so elated with pride, that is would be more at home with an extremely happy girlfriend more than a Commissioned Officer.

50 men, all giving mock salutes or showing obvious pride in the patch they wore.

Every Battalion, Squadron, or Unique Platoon bore a unique patch designed by the Head Commanding Officer.

Echo Squadron, now a mere 'Echo' of what once-was, still lived by the motto that was put into place by their Captain since the birth of the Squadron.

" _ **TO**_ _ **GLORY!**_ _ **OR**_ _ **DEATH**_ _ **!**_ ".

It's the sort of line that would be more at home with a Cavalry Force more than anything. And perhaps that's true, but it mattered little to Echo Squadron, the Squadron of Overwatch's fiercest and fearless fighting soldiers.

Where the Heroes of Overwatch showed exemplary talent and abilities to keep the peace, Echo Squadron showed pure tenacity and force in enforcing the peace.

Where Heroes of Overwatch were expected to act as a representation for Overwatch's Idealistic Goals, Echo Squadron was a real representation for what Overwatch's Fighting Force has to do and face in the field.

They faced the Omnics on very equal terms, and in a lot of cases, at a severe disadvantage.

Echo Squadron became so famous, because they were the 'Do-Or-Die' Team. The fact that they survived so long was a testament to their abilities. Each Member was renowned for something amazing.

The Common 'Grunt' of Echo Squadron was renowned for being able to take on 10 Omnics on their own.

Lieutenant Romana was renowned for being able to lead an entire Batallion even without her Captain at the helm leading the movement, and for being more than capable of taking on a whole platoon of Omnics on her own (At least that was the rumors).

Captain Wasser though?

He was renowned for the one trick he pulled off at the Defense of Seoul in South Korea.

It was what made him so notable to the Grunts, and why they put him on that pedestal metaphorically.

On his own, through sheer will, determination, and with the might of a thousand men, he took down a Titan Omnic. A Titan Omnic the size of a skyscraper fell to his might, something that even he was unsure how he succeeded.

The shocking part?

He did it on his own.

The Titan Omnic rose from the ocean mid-way into the battle when Overwatch's attention was centered around taking the Downtown area. They didn't notice the Titan Omnic until they received a report from the Naval Fleet that they had just counted one extra titan omnic, the one that was climbing into downtown. His Squadron was sent out to flank the bulk of the Omnic Force to try and take pressure off of the Main Force. He chose to walk along the bay area since he knew Omnics other than Titans stay in the water, and so he believed it would be safest and most efficient for his squadron to move through there.

He ordered his Squadron to carry on without him when he saw the Titan Omnic, and told them he would meet up with them later ahead.

He was true to his word, and showed up to his squadron before carrying the attack without a word of what transpired.

In the end though?

That Titan Omnic never got past him. It fell back and sunk into the waters, looking undamaged, but permanently destroyed from ever being of use again.

From then on, his name was treated with reverence by his fellow Officers and Troops. His Lieutenant pressed for details, but he only gave her a smile before sipping from his coffee. Morrison asked for an official report for what happened too, but he only gave a smirk before taking a bite out of the morning bagel and leaving the mess hall.

Rumors went wild.

"He destroyed it with his eyes closed".

"Killed it with a fork!".

"God himself descended from above, heeding his call, and just shitted all over the Titan Omnic with a righteous holy fury!".

His reputation soared.

Yet...

It mattered little to him. That was just the duty expected of him. What mattered to him, was when he rallied Echo Squadron and managed to take back Copenhagen from the grips of the Omnic when Overwatch was nearly put to retreat.

His Men was his pride, as he was to his Men.

It was almost sad to see the poster of the Squadron whole once more.

He felt a terribly bitter taste in his mouth.

All these men, save for a very rare few who are dead, are nothing more but Revenants now. Himself included.

And it was such a sad thought.

These 51 Mens were Heroes. They were the ones who stood firmly against chaos; championing the values of Overwatch with their lives. And they all died for the very cause they fought for... only to be killed by those they fought her, simply because one segment wanted more power over the other.

He bit his lip. Hard.

He bit it as anger resurfaced when he thought more about it.

These Men had friends, families, children, wives; people who were waiting for them to come home safely. These Men risked life and limbs for their nations, and they went so far as to risk it for the entire human race.

And for _what!?_

To be **BETRAYED** by the ones they fought for!

Reyes and his fucking power-hungry schemes!

Morrison and his goddamn fucking inability to tell that Blackwatch was up to something despite it being so **GODDAMN FUCKING BLATANT!**

Angela could have saved him! His Men!

Where was she when they needed her!?

Where was Lena!?

Where was Winston!?

Why did nobody come to save them!?

A rage that shouldn't exist in the body of a living person burnt at his sanity eagerly, as though it was fuel to the flame.

The taste of copper and blood seeped into his mouth.

His left hand aches in agony as he remembered that feeling of being crushed underneath so much rubble.

His legs shook slightly as they threatened to break themselves in memory.

Everything hurts.

A cold numbness slowly creeped along his life, trying to pry him away from the world of the living and back to the world of the dead.

But he refused.

He refused because he has a score to settle.

He lives for one thing.

And one thing only:

Death, or Retribution must be served to Gabriel Reyes (Reaper).

It was the way to end this.

It was the ONLY way to end it.

Revenants can finally lay themselves down once their vengeance has been reckoned.

"L-Love, are you alright? Y-You're bleeding".

She brought him out of his rage with her nervous voice. All anger faded away in an instant when he realized he wasn't Revenant.

No, Revenant is a threat to any that he deemed a threat to himself.

He is Kyle Lazarus Wasser, a walking Specter who should be dead.

Not Captain Wasser.

Captain Wasser died in Operation Epilogue, and so did all 50 of his Subordinates.

From the ashes came the Revenants of Overwatch.

The Revenants of Overwatch, a hyper-secret Platoon of some of the World's most Decorated Soldiers geared in extremely destructive technology intent on killing 1 Person; but more than willing to rip the world apart in the process.

He slowly stopped biting his lips and swallowed down the taste of his blood. It was a grim reminder to himself that no matter how strong he was, he was always prone to thinking.

It will always be his greatest weakness.

He speaks with a bitter tone, "... It hurts to think about what happened and why it happened".

Lena kept quiet, but sympathetically reached out and touched his forearm.

He gave a forlorn sigh followed by a weary shake of his head, "I suppose it may be best I don't dwell on it for the time being. We still have to gather the others...".

"Right?", Lena turned to him, "We still have to pick everybody back up!".

"We'll see them again... I hope", he bit his lip, "Though I'm not sure if I want them to see me again of all people. I can't deny how disheartening it would be if they discovered that even somebody like me had fallen".

"I think they'd be more enthused if anything love. Everybody thought you died".

"In a sense, I did".

"You sound like Commander Reyes".

"Don't associate my name with that _traitor's_ ", he narrowed his eyes and took the broom from Lena's hands, "No matter. Lets not tarry any further. I'll begin by cleaning up your floor. You can manage your bed".

Lena nodded and set herself to work immediately.

Silence reigned for a few minutes as they cleaned her room.

Lena spoke up again though, "Love... Why do you think Commander Reyes tried to kill you?".

"I thought I stated it before in the past: I was a legitimate threat to him", he casted her a sidelong glance, "He knew I have a routine of doing on-a-whim base inspections. He realized he would never be able to plant a bomb because I would find it and take care of it. He also knew if I got suspicious of him, I could probably launch an official investigation".

"He couldn't risk having his plans ruined. Not to mention, if HE didn't try to kill me, undoubtedly Talon would have tried in his stead. Where Blackwatch didn't like me, Talon despised me. My mind was blown that Gérard ended up getting killed before me. Then again, HE was the spear-head for the operations, not me. I was just the one who pitches in every now and then".

"You knew Gérard?", Lena looked to him with surprise.

"How couldn't I? He was the big-shot who ended up getting assigned to coordinating Overwatch Efforts against Talon in major operations. In a sense, he was a lot like me, granted I wasn't so serious, I wasn't as old, nor was I married either".

"I don't think I ever met Gérard... what was he like?", Lena stopped cleaning for a moment to wait for his response.

He stopped cleaning too as he recalled quickly, "We only met once. Morrison assigned me under Gérard's command when they launched a raid against a Talon Base. Messy affair. I took a few bullets that nearly killed me. Gérard too".

"I never heard about this...".

"I never mentioned it. Not to mention, you were off on an Operation against the Omnic Hordes. Angela took care of the wounds for both me and Gérard. Though she did complain endlessly about a certain bullet in my neck when she was healing it", he scratched his jaw.

"You were shot in the neck?".

"Wasn't even the worst of it. Miracle that I didn't die on the spot from a lot of the bullets that hit me. Guess I'm just lucky, or my sheer willpower is just to the point where I resist death itself", he rolled his eyes, "I'm sure it's mostly luck. It's not everyday I take a few bullets into my head without flinching and being able to walk it off".

Lena's jaw drops, "T-That's amazing".

Kyle gave a wry smile and shrug, "Angela thought so too, but it still hit a bit of my different lobes. I was incapable of emotions and became a true stoic for about 4 hours that day... I was also unable to feel my legs but was able to use them after another 5 hours... I went back to being normal after Angela installed an artificial system in my head to take place for the damaged/dead neurons to put me back in shape for duty".

Lena tapped her head gently, "So you're like a Cyborg, Love?".

He winced, "Don't call me a Cyborg. While I have nothing against the Omnics, I don't want to be compared as something akin to them. I am a Bionic Commando at best, nothing more. I am still very much more man than Omnic".

"Do you hate Omnics Love?", Lena asked him with narrowed eyes.

"Lena, I worked tirelessly in a profession where I was shot at by millions of Omnics", he rubbed his chest area, "I've been scarred countless times by bullets that have phased through my chest, even before the building's collapse. I think my dislike of Omnics is justified".

Lena crossed her arms, "Well that's no good! We're Heroes! Omnics are technically people too! They are forced to face discrimination by others, and they can understand emotions like any of us! They even fall in love! Have you not seen couples?".

"I have, and I wonder how the Human puts up with it", he shuddered before whispering discreetly, "A relationship with a robot... What's the sex like? Is the child an adopted human, or an adopted micro-omnic?".

Lena perked her ears, "Did you say something just now love?".

"Not at all", he looked away and began cleaning once more, "You stopped cleaning. We best continue lest we be forever doomed to clean your room for all eternity".

"That couldn't happen... could it?".

"Pft, I mean, I've been told many ties that many different things couldn't happen before", he smugly looked up, "Well, I'm the guy who's survived 2 shots into the head in one sitting, so I think I'll say that anything is possible".

Lena realized he had a point and set to work even more vigorously before. In minutes (or seconds!? He couldn't tell, it was always hard to tell time whenever it came to Lena), he could see Lena dashing about the room to aid in cleaning.

He felt a sudden breeze blow straight past him when the blue streak blurs past right before him. He continued sweeping without slowing, but gave a look of bewilderment as he tried to keep track of Lena going all over the place.

Areas where she dashed through turned up sparkling.

It was damn near comical.

He shook his head and spoke aloud, "If only you could be as smart as you are efficient whenever I speak some sense into you".

Lena huffed, but smiled all the same, "That's rather mean-spirited of you, don't you think?".

"I'm just honest", he continued cleaning without missing a beat.

There was another brief silence.

Kyle spoke up this time though, "Say, has there been any Heroes out there that has caught your eye? Any that might fit into this Recall?".

"Oh! Oh!", Lena clapped eagerly as she came to a stop on her own bed, "There's plenty I've heard about! Winston and I have talked about trying to contact them too!".

She was always eager whenever it came to chatting about Heroes. Not to mention, he could use a refresher to get a good grip on the world's current roster for Heroes. He knew a few since he had run ins, but it's best to know some of the more notable ones so he might no offend them upon meeting them.

Though the more he thought about possibly offending the New Generation, he realized he probably didn't even care. He's an 'Original' Hero if you think about it like he did.

He was one of Canada's Finest War Heroes, and was undoubtedly hailed as some sort of Martyr in his own country since they think he died with Overwatch. He was part of Overwatch's Roster during its Prime and in its original form.

Hell, he was a Commanding Officer!

Few could say that!

Though it was a little annoying to think that he was ONLY a Captain for Overwatch when he leaped into the rank of Lieutenant Colonel for the Canadian Army as soon as he turned 22. How come he wasn't the one to take command?

He understood that Morrison and Reyes had seniority over him, but even then! He doubted that either senior soldiers had such an extraordinary military career such as his!

Though, that did make him an upstart of sort... so maybe then, it made sense to give him a Commissioned Rank that wasn't of miniscule size whilst giving him something that wasn't entire control over Overwatch.

While he was exceptionally talented, he could see the logic in giving high command to those who have been proven and those who have trained for even longer than his, while still being exceptional individuals.

He tilted his head to Lena and gave her a nod for her to begin.

Lena didn't begin, however, she instead asked him, "Do you know any Heroes, Love?".

"There's obviously McCree and all the former Overwatch Agents", he frowned, "But they don't count... I've heard of Hana Song... or whatever she's calling herself now".

" ", Lena whispered, "But how do you know about her?".

"My Sister".

"Which one, Love?".

"The Older One".

"Kelsy, Right?".

"Yup, that's her. She plays Starcraft too. Followed the Professional League... 'MLG' or whatever they call themselves. Sings the praise for Hana Song to me every time she and the family visited me during the days before I was enlisted into Overwatch.

Naturally, while my years in... 'the fog', I kept tabs on potential threats that could have stopped me in my... 'journey to obtaining justice'. I looked through Military Reports and ran through their rosters for War Heroes to look out for.

Inevitably, I checked the South Korean Military and found a new Mechanized Unit put into play with the name 'Hana Song' operating with them under the moniker of ' '. Apparently she's now working with some sort of Mech?".

"Yup!", Lena rubbed her cheeks, "She's a celebrity too! Have you ever seen any of her movies?".

"... No".

"... You've never seen any of her movies?".

"... I think the last time I saw a movie was when I was 17; and I was taking my Girlfriend on a date. She dumped me in the theater, so that might have kept me away from Cinemas...".

Lena looked like she had been poleaxed, yet Kyle didn't seem to notice. Kyle began to make snappy comments about his apparently secret hatred of Cinema. Lena though, fell into some deep thoughts.

She never really saw Kyle for something other than... her Patron/Friend/Confidant of sorts. It... seemed almost alien to hear the word 'Girlfriend' come from Kyle's mouth so casually, especially when it referred to another romantic partner of his.

The Scenario with his Lieutenant was something she didn't truly understand, but did slightly understand to the point where she didn't think of him any different. But to hear about a 'regular' romance made her look at him differently.

So he had been in natural romantic relationships with sane women before?

Was he attractive then?

Or was he charming?

Was he a decent romantic prospect when he was in a better state of mind?

"... I feel like you just thought of something very rude just now", Kyle narrowed his eyes at Lena, causing her to snap away immediately.

Lena gave an unconvincing nervous laugh, "What's that? I think I hear Winston! Looks like he's calling for us, Love!", she immediately began to back away towards the door.

Kyle frowned, "I don't think Winston called for anybody...".

"Haha!", she dashed out into the hallway, "Last one to Winston's a Loser, Love!".

She disappeared into the hallways, and left Kyle dumbfounded at the doorway to her quarters.

He muttered, "Okay then. Cilcia and Lena ran away once I started talking about the Girl who dumped me in a Cinema. Note-To-Self, never talk about her ever again I suppose".

He scratched the back of his neck, "Puh. Whatever. I can't possibly hope to win in a race against Lena without my Revenant Armour on. I may as well get the decision on our plans out of the way before I forget".

He chased after Lena with a brisk walk.

Within minutes of departure from Lena's room, he arrived into the Common Area, where Lena was already lounging on the couch with a victorious grin.

The ever-nervous Ph03n1x was watching him and Winston from the same couch, while Winston paid no attention to him, but instead to the screen.

Lena cheekily bragged to him, "Took your sweet time, didn't you, Love?".

"With you around? I have forever", he glanced to the screen.

He blinked.

...

"In other news, the 'Omnic Crisis' in Russia has escalated further when the city of turned into a battlefield when Omnic and Pro-Omnic Protestors turned violent against the Local Law Enforcement; to the point where the President of Russia warranted the use of the National Guard's deployment".

"The current casualty numbers on the amounts of death and injuries pertaining to the event, has currently, believed to have exceeded 1 million total casualties. The President of Russia has declared his intention to call for support in the next convening UN Meeting, which is only 2 Months away".

"In other news, enlistment numbers in Canada and the U.S continue to soar in light of the anniversary of the First Omnic Crisis. New Posters dedicated to the Dead Heroes of the First Omnic Crisis has been released in Canada, with the U.S planning for a release next week".

"And now, to Elizabeth, for the weather".

...

Every head turned to Kyle. They did so, because Kyle spoke up out of nowhere, "They're still pumping out posters for Enlistments? What's the Prime Minister thinking? What's the American President thinking too? Are they gearing up to punch each other again? It's almost like they forgot the shit-show that happened when they threw punches".

"Are you by chance, pertaining to the Night Raids?", Winston asked.

"Precisely", Kyle clicked his tongue, "While I became extremely notable because of my brutal efficiency in the raids, I find it distasteful. I mean, it's easy to punch through any base if you catch 'em in the still of night, but executing them is a little difficult. Especially when they plead for mercy by trying to draw sympathy".

"Did you really HAVE to kill them then?" Phoenix shifted nervously, "It seems like it was... unnecessary".

"Soldiers follow orders. Non-Commissioned Officers relay the Orders. Commissioned Officers make orders. I executed every soldier to send a clear message. I like to think I succeeded since the Americans ended up signing a truce after I killed off a few of their Senior Commissioned Officers... Specifically the execution of General Grey in the comfort of his own home in Washington".

"You were the one who did that?", Winston asked with surprise.

"Sure, it's why I was promoted to the immediate rank of Lieutenant-Colonel", he gave a nonchalant shrug, "They figured that I had a Hunter's Instinct since I have a knack of deducting where American Officers end up being and I end up killing them. So they decided to assign me a huge regiment that ended up becoming some poster-regiment that they use nowadays to draw enlistments even without me around anymore".

Kyle took another moment to think before he turned to Winston, "How did you hear about General Grey's Death?".

Phoenix coughed, "Who didn't? The U.S's most notable General who was famed for being one of the world's most brilliant tacticians turns up dead in his own home in the middle of the American Capital. It isn't exactly something one would expect to happen".

Winston mused, "Perhaps you may have a stronger tactical acumen then Commander Morrison, Captain Wasser. I can only wonder how Overwatch would have turned out if it was under your Command".

"Lets not think about fantasies and think more on the present", he steered Winston away from making him think of the past, "I think it's time me and Lena took a look at the Military Operations going on across the globe. I can try to deduce the most dangerous operation in terms of Talon Interference, but I can't say I'll be 100% correct".

"Well, let me show you the most notable ones first".

"You have 3 Options that are urgent and your best choices as calculated by Athena, the Base A.I".

...

 _OPERATION 1: FIREBRAND_

 _Nation of Operation: **Egypt**_

 _Objectives: **Escort an EMP Explosive into an Extremist Omnic Sector to neutralize the Threat to the Local Populace**_

 _Notable Personnel/Heroes: ' **Pharah'**_

 _Expected Resistance: Omnic Extremists, Pro-Omnic Extremists_

 _Expected Support: Egyptian Military Personnel, Local Law Enforcement Elements, Helix Security International (Pharah & a Minor Squadron of roughly 12 Strong)_

 _STARTS: 12:30 PM, Local Standard, 2 Days_

 _..._

 _OPERATION 2: GATE-CRASHER_

 _Nation of Operation: **Germany**_

 _Objectives: **Locate and Detain 'Junkrat' and 'Roadhog' in their planned attack on a Military Arms Production Plant**_

 _Notable Personnel/Heroes: ' **Mercy** '_

 _Expected Resistance: **Junkrat & Roadhog**_

 _Expected Support: Mercy, German Law Enforcement Elements  
_

 _STARTS: 08:00 PM, Local Standard, 2 Days_

 _..._

 _OPERATION 3: SLEEPING DOGS_

 _Nation of Operation: **Canada**_

 _Objectives: **Defend the Prime Minister from Extremists during his Speech in commemoration of the Death of the Deceased Lieutenant-Colonel Wasser**_

 _Notable Personnel/Heroes: Prime Minister Jeremy King, Brigadier General Elaine Harper, ' **Calypso** '_

 _Expected Resistance: Extremist Elements_

 _Expected Support: 1st Regiment of Foot (Marine Corps), Local Law Enforcement Elements, Unidentified Military Assets, Calypso_

 _STARTS: 10:00 AM, Local Standard, 1 Day_

...

"... There's quite the time differences amongst these Operations", Kyle looked to Lena, "There's more than enough time inbetween to allow us to aid in all 3 if we wished".

Lena gave a firm grin, "Then it'll be up to us to help them!".

Kyle rubbed his chin and turned away, "... No, we wouldn't be able to... Maybe we could manage 2 at best, but even then... We can't do 3, we'd be far too exhausted to do anything... Fair Enough. We'll have to go in together, Lena, for any of the operations".

"I'm fairly sure I could garner a guess for which operations that attract you the most", Winston spoke, "But I knew I should always give you another option should I guess wrong. That said, however, I believe I know which ones you are thinking of pursuing".

"I'll save our time by saying it anyways: I'm personally interested in aiding Angela in the 'bust' on Roadhog and Junkrat. Those 2 meth-head pyromaniac, psychopaths have been on my radar even when I was 'Revenant'. I'd love to fight them".

"Furthermore, I'm also very interested in the Egyptian Operation. I've information pertaining to 'Pharah' that states that she's the Daughter of Ana Amari... Morrison's Second in Command".

"... You aren't interested in the Canadian Operation?", asked Winston in surprise.

"I thought you'd WANT to go back to Canada, Love!", Lena gasped in mock surprise.

Phoenix nodded afterwards, "Indeed... You know the country would be overjoyed to discover one of its finest soldiers still alive".

"And became a Terrorist? No thanks", he gave a grimace, "I think it's best I avoid Canada until the name 'Revenant' doesn't equate to 'Terrorist'. I don't want my Family and Former Friends to fear me once I return. I can wait until the time is better for me to return".

"Then we're going to Egypt and Germany then, Love?".

"If you're fine with that. I'd like to meet Amari's Daughter and I wish to meet Angela once more".

"Quick Question, did you ever talk to Ana?".

"Maybe once. We hardly talked. She was Morrison's second, but she mostly kept to the Strike Force Operations. I took orders under her once, but other than that, we never crossed paths", Kyle gave a nonchalant shrug, "We got along well enough the one time we interacted".

"Anything to add before we get going?".

He smirked.

Confident and Cocky, almost making Lena call him 'Captain' again just out of instinct.

 **"They aren't going to know what hit 'em".**


	5. Chapter 5 - Angels and Anger

**The Memories of Captain Wasser; "My Thoughts on Lena"**

In the past, whenever I returned from an operation, I tended to gather with many fellow Overwatch Agents and Heroes to celebrate or discuss what had happened. Many times, we'd drink, talk, and end up simply having a social gathering more than anything.

But every now and again..

I return from an operation, go through debriefing, before immediately shutting myself up in my quarters to contemplate. It's a thing I do to keep myself in check. People think it's because I have a guilty conscious or something akin to a moral dilemma. It isn't.

I don't give half a shit about 'morals', all I ever really cared about was 'what works'.

But do you know who has 'morals'?

Angela and Lena.

Lena moreso ever since she got her Chronal Accelerator and became 'Tracer'.

Lena.

She's a special kind of person. She's unusually lively, but also incredibly sensitive. It's an odd combination considering her job is to wipe out Omnic Forces. Omnics of which, we theorized in the past to be more than capable of matching humans in emotional and mental stimuli.

That meant they thought and felt just like us... There were merely machines in body.

It was the moral dilemma that people thought I dreaded over in the silent nights inside my quarters. It would have made sense for others though, since every Officer surely had a time sooner or later where they had a moral crisis in the line of thinking.

Lena... I think she must have had that crisis a couple times rather than having a one-off.

She was a sweet girl. Her personality would have been more at home with a child than a Former-Test-Pilot-Now-Time-Traveling-Heroine. Though I suppose it was part of the charm; part of the reason why she ended up becoming as popular as she did.

She was friendly with everybody. She even had sympathy for the Omnics, something that I never understood how she could, considering she had a duty of shooting them and destroying their miserable existence.

We got along well despite our differing opinions on the Omncis though. Partly because I was her probably the first acquaintance she made in Overwatch, but mostly because opposites attract.

She disapproved of my view on the Omnics and constantly tried to influence me to become more sympathetic to them, but I don't think none of her ideals ever really took root in me. The idea just never sat well.

Sympathy for the Machines?

Sure, Machines that could think and feel like a human. But it was still machines that were trying to wipe out the Humans. It never sat well with me to sympathise with the enemy.

Which is 'disconcerting', according to Angela, my psychiatrist AND Doctor and everything associated to the medical department.

Anyways, back to Lena.

People often wonder if there's anything 'going on' between me and her. I can understand that just because we share in each other's company often, that it is a viable possibility of us having a romantic relationship of some kind, but it always seemed a bit absurd for me to imagine myself with Lena.

Not that she isn't charming, mind you, I believe Lena to be an exquisite specimen of a human female, and I believe her to be a very good romantic prospect... with the right kind of person.

I don't believe she and I would make a very good pair due to our different views and beliefs.

Not to mention, she deserves better.

Perhaps in the past we were equals.

But now?

I'm someone else.

I'm not the Captain Wasser she thinks I am.

She deserves far better than me.

I'm not alive. I don't 'live'.

I don't 'love', I don't 'hate', I merely 'exist'.

Only my Lieutenant was a viable romantic prospect for me.

We both did not live, but we both existed. We had a similar end game...

But that changed, and we split after I silently saved the world once from them.

My end game is to put a bullet into Reaper's head before I finally falter and fade away back into the abyss of death where I belong.

My Lieutenant... and the rest of the Revenants... their end game is something far more sinister.

An end game I prevented them from succeeding in the past...

An end game I must stop from ever occuring whilst I still pursue my ending.

And in the end?

Lena's end game...

Hers is to...

"Pst! Wake up, Love!".

It seems her end game will have to wait.

We're on our way to Germany, if I remember correctly.

When we arrived in Egypt... ready to assist the escort...

Turns out, someone had hijacked the EMP Bomb earlier.

Nobody knows who...

Something tells me though..

My Lieutenant might have taken another step towards her end game.

...

...

 **Berlin, Germany, Operation: Gatecrasher, 30 Minutes after Operation Start**

He slams against the marble pillar with a pitiful groan before falling down to the floor. The impact knocks the wind out of him, but it does nominal damage. He raised his head and forced away any indications of pain underneath his bloodied face.

He brought his right sleeve up to his mouth and wiped away the blood coming out of his mouth. With a growl, he forced himself back up despite the protests of his broken left leg. He glimpsed over to the unconscious Tracer, who was pinned underneath a fallen collumn of marble.

Her spine is probably only NOT broken because of the metal harness of her Chronal Accelerator.

He turned his attention back to the Terrorist Trio whom had shredded apart the Authorities... and was mopping the floor with him and Tracer.

Junkrat, the lanky Austrailian Pyromaniac responsible for launching him everywhere with the explosives he loves to fire off.

Roadhog, the huge, size-of-a-barn maniac with a shotgun (Scrapgun) that is awfully friendly after he latches a metal hook into your body and drags you in to meet the gun.

And...

 **REAPER**.

No comments needed.

He forced himself back up despite the protest of his broken bones and bleeding arteries. Death was knocking on the door, but he was barricading it with his will. A dampness was making the fabric cling tightly against his sweaty and bloody skin, but he couldn't complain.

He never complains.

Captain Wasser never complained.

And he'd be damned if he started now, even if Captain Wasser died.

He stared Reaper into the eyes with a fire blazing behind his own, "... Reyes".

"Wasser", the name came out of Reaper's mouth with a liquid smoothness, "Unfortunate to see you as resilient as ever".

"If I wasn't resilient, Reyes, it'd mean every chump in line to kill me wouldn't have had their chance".

"Really then? And how many times would you have died?".

"About just as many grains of sands on a beach", in a fury only found with Revenants, he had drawn his revolver, "Unfortunately for you, that was theoretical".

 _BANG!_

Cracking like thunder, the echo of the shot resounded off the battered walls and the smashed pillars.

Reaper merely shifted into his noncorporeal form in expectation of the bullet, but everyone save for the Revenant was surprised by who was hit by the bullet.

The round smashes home into one of Junkrat's pouches with an obnoxious _clang!_

For a moment, nothing happened.

Reyes made the mistake of assumptions, "You missed, Captain".

"On the contrary", satisfied with a grimace, he lowered his revolver, "I believe I hit my target. Dead-Center".

Junkrat opened his pouch and glimpsed inside.

He gave a shrill laugh of surprise, moments before everything was deafened out by a large explosion.

The sheer shockwave of the explosion caused him to stumble, but Revenant didn't falter from his feet. He watched with a grim satisfaction as the dust cloud of the explosion stops expanding. The ringing in his ears served as the testament of the explosive's sheer power.

That, was a gamble.

He had no idea if Junkrat actually did or didn't have an explosive device inside, but he tested his luck by shooting it anyways.

Though everything seemed to turn out alright since the shot did cause an explosion of the most epic calibre.

He half-expected to see a burnt pile of corpses that were shredded in the explosion as the aftermath of his gamble.

But found himself left unsatisfied when he instead finds Reaper carrying an unconsciuos Junkrat and dragging along a battered Roadhog running away. Well, not 'running away' I suppose, but more of a strategic withdrawal.

Whatever happened in that explosion, those 3 survived it despite being right ontop of it. There's a slight feeling of exasperation somewhere deep inside, but he ignored it by raising the revolver once more and taking aim.

Reaper will probably just ignore the bullet if he shot it by turning noncorporeal, so his best shots were either Junkrat or Roadhog.

Either one would work.

Preferably a headshot to permanently remove them out of the eternal picture.

He settled the sight over the back of Junkrat's head.

Took a deep breath and calmed his nerves to steady his hand.

He squeezed on the trigger, ready to take Junkrat's life.

 _CLICK_.

He cocked back the hammer.

This was it.

He pulled the trigger with all his might.

But not before his body finally gave away, unable to withstand the damage from earlier any further.

His arm jerks with the fall.

 _BANG!_

The bullet finds home in a pillar. Junkrat, Roadhog, and Reaper escape the premise without incident.

As much as he wanted to give chase, he found his body unwilling to respond to his commands. Looks like the damage caught up. A strained guttural sound came from the pit of his stomach, as though it was an order to raise himself back up.

But his legs dared not to bend and prepare to pick itself back up.

His arms refused outright to move any further. The powdery bone in his right arm made sure any further movements would hurt like a bitch and take a colossal effort.

His left arm was alright, but he could sense a few jolts of electricity making his muscles twitch. Looks like even the Cybernetic arm took a hit.

The dampness of his uniform was spreading all around him, to which he realized it was his blood. A crimson stain on the floor, with the embers of flickering flames falling all around. It was cinematic, but ultimately infuriating.

He didn't even get his shot off properly, and now Junkrat lives another day.

A problem that will surely rear its ugly head somewhere in the future.

"Through here!", she was speaking german, but even he could recognize whose voice it was.

Doctor Ziegler always had a bit of an accent that made her slightly more distinguishable from the others. Not that it was prevalent, but it certainly made it easy to hear her.

Which was a good thing all things considered, since she was the head of Overwatch's Medical Department.

They had met earlier today, but Angela didn't recognize him. Mostly because he was wearing the face mask and Revenant armor when he showed up with Tracer.

Mercy and Tracer already had their reunion earlier, so there wasn't exactly anything to be expected of them seeing each other again today. However...

With his face mask scorched off from the incendiery bomb from a few minutes earlier (Courtesy of Junkrat), that meant his full face was on display. Though maybe she might not recognize him with all the blood on his face.

But then again, she might just recognize him because of the blood.

She was his personal doctor in the past afterall, and if anyone knew what he looked like with wounds, it would be her.

He brought a burnt sleeve up to his mouth and wiped. Didn't really help, but it did at least thin the layers of blood on his face. Fairly sure some of his pearly-whites were chipped or even broken, but he wasn't worried about that.

Most of the damage here could probably be treated back at base in the infirmary. The only real concern was surviving until then. The amount of wounds and the amount of ketchup he was spilling was, after all, a little dangerous to his health.

Soon enough, he heard the boots of Kommando Units coming into the destroyed museum. There was a few gasps from the protracted fight earlier, but it may be because of the amount of blood on all the different weapons.

He did, after all, end up picking up a few museum weapons and using them. Like one of the medieval greatswords they had on display. He picked it up mid-flight and swung it at Junkrat and Roadhog for example.

Gave them a nice cut, but it wasn't really efficient or usable since it was rusted and old.

Besides, most of the blood was his anyways.

He turned his head with a grunt, and spotted the flood of Kommando Units pushing in with an Angel leading the way.

She was holding that pathetic little pistol of hers that she never used, but always had.

Almost made him smile too, he thought he'd never see that little gun.

Angela Ziegler, blonde and beautiful in all her glory gave a few directions and commands to the Kommando Units. She spotted him and Tracer immediately afterwards as the Kommando Units sprint past in pursuit of the Terrorist Trio.

She slid her caduceus staff off her back before saying aloud, "Hold still". She tapped her finger along the staff, dunno what she pressed or what she didn't press, but soon enough a stream of green fired out from her caduceus staff.

If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was trying to fire a green laser at him. But he did know better.

As the green stream made contact with his skin, he felt a flushing sensation wash over his body. It was like taking a shower and have a huge amount of mud, dirt, and general grime suddenly fall away. It was a wonderful feeling.

Soon enough, he began feeling some of the cuts and shrapnel wounds begin to close up.

Nanotechnology is a wonderful thing.

More so when it gets rid of his wounds so quickly and didn't leave a scar behind.

God knows he has enough of those.

He turned and looked Angela in the eyes as she kneeled down beside him, still using her caduceus staff.

There was a spark in their gaze, something foreign to the Revenant and something unexpected to the Angel.

Almost sensing the sudden tension that came in out of nowhere, Angela spoke up quickly, "Have we met? You look very familiar".

"Have we?", he asked her instead, "Have we met? I do look familiar, but am I the same person as him?".

There's another silence between the both of them. Her gaze was intense, but he couldn't mistaken its intensity for an analysis. She wasn't analyzing him despite the intensity, if anything, there was a warmth to the gaze.

Strangely as warm as Lena's gaze when she realized who he was initially.

In one sweeping motion, he heard her staff clatter to the floor and his hand held.

His right hand, the most flesh-and-bone of his hands was being held in both of Angela's hands.

She brought it slowly to her chest, almost making it seem like a romantic confession.

Almost.

He cocked up an eyebrow, "Angela? This isn't the part where you confess a sudden realization of who I am and a sudden romantic confession about how you secretly was in love with me the entire time in Overwatch, and how you wanted to confess when I returned, but never got the chance to... Right?".

Angela flushed red after his words, but she ignored them by instead whispering, "You're alive...".

"... In some sense, I suppose", a thin slash of a grimace took his face, "Captain Wasser is still very much dead though, I'm afraid".

Angela gave him a curious look. She simply held his hand tenderly, "But you're still very much alive, Captain".

"In flesh, yes. But in mind, no".

She recognized the glint in his eyes. She knows better than to press any further. Instead, she closed her eyes and spoke softly, "I suppose it matters little. You have no idea as to the relief I feel in learning that you are still with us, Captain".

"Am I with you though?", he asked, "I'm Revenant. Feared Terrorist and Nightmare to the New Age".

"New Age?", she shook her head before reaching out with one of her hands. She touched his features as though to confirm that it was his, "Forget about all that for a moment, Wasser. Have you not anything to say to me? After all these years in silence? After the years where we all thought you were dead?".

"What is there to say?", he asked, "I was betrayed. Left to rot in a building's collapse. No one ever came for us".

"Us, Captain?".

"Me and the majority of Echo Squadron. We survived the collapse, but we were trapped under rubble", he winced at the memory, "We were gored. Battered and broken. We waited for a team to come and pick us up and take us back to base. No one ever came".

Angela's expression only softened further. There was a hint of melancholy in her eyes, something he never thought he'd really see, "But Captain... we were only alerted of what had happened to you after the Operation had failed... Only after we came back to Headquarters".

"So that made our hails of distress irrelevant, did it?", he shook his head, "Overwatch's lack of assistance for my Squadron gave birth to the Revenants".

"Revenants?".

"Echo Squadron is still very much active, Angela. Run by my Lieutenant, and now a Terror Group of unmonitored danger. I founded them, but I betrayed them to stop them from ending the world in the past. They're sore about what I did, but they're plotting to end the world once more".

There's surprise in her eyes.

He stopped talking about the Revenants altogether. Instead, he turned his eyes to Tracer, who gave a soft groan from underneath the pillar. He softly spoke, "Lena's underneath the pillar. She won't last any longer there, we need to get her out".

As though only becoming aware of the world around her once more, Mercy stood back up before helping him up.

His center of mass felt a little different, so it takes a moment to steady himself.

Mercy nodded to him, "Then it is best if I boost your strength to allow you to raise the pillar".

"You can do that?".

"I can do a lot of things, Captain".

"Don't call me that".

"Then would you prefer Nightmare?".

"No. Don't call me that either".

"Then it may be best if we simply get started, Kyle".

"Better, but not quite there. We'll discuss this later. Boost me".

She tapped her fingers along her caduceus staff before it fires off a new blue stream.

It makes contact with him, and gives him an invigorating feeling. He felt like a god in that initial moment, and so immediately set to work.

He brought his hands down and firmly got a grasp on the broken collumn of the pillar crushing Lena.

With a roar, he pulled it up using all his might. Even with the boost in strength, it strained his every muscle in order to raise the marble collumn. But he does succeed. With another roar, he threw the pillar off of Lena and to the ground.

There's a rumble in the ground as the pillar smashes back down, but it was soon replaced by a coughing fit.

Tracer gave repeated coughs, curling herself up into a fetal position as she did. Holding one hand over her chronal accelerator and the other to cover her mouth.

He and Mercy kneeled down around the downed Lena.

Soothingly, Mercy reassured Lena "You'll be alright Lena. Just hang in there", she began to fiddle with her caduceus staff.

He did what he thought was soothing, by placing a hand atop of her head and gently patting it, "You'll be fine. Just keep coughing and open up your airways".

Angela gave him a strange look.

He tilted his head, "What? I'd know about being crushed. I survived a building's collapse after all".

Angela nodded quickly before she goes, "Aha!". A green stream fires out of her caduceus staff and gently envelopes the downed Tracer. Within the next few minutes, her coughs began to soften and she began to breathe more deeply.

Soon, she looked up to the both of them before grinning, "Cheers Love!".

Almost annoyed by her cheery attitude, he gently slapped her cheek with his hand, "That's for being rash and charging them head on".

Lena whined, "But you did it too, Love!".

"I'm trained in close quarter combat. You aren't".

"Yes I am! I can control time, Love!", she huffed.

"I didn't see you using your 'recall' ability to get out from under the pillar", his eyebrow twitched in annoyance to her excuse. Exasperated, he reached forward before pulling on her cheek like a parent chiding a child, "You leave rash decisions to me. I can take a hit, you can't, Lass".

Pouting almost like a child now, Lena crossed her arms and flipped away from him, "I'm rough-and-tumble".

"I'm sure you are", he stood back up.

Angela was laughing softly. Almost understanding his raised eyebrow as a question, Angela explained, "You two have not changed even if the years have been cruel. I see you two are still as close as I remember".

"Of course we are", they both spoke in unison.

He gave a bewildered look, but Lena didn't seem to mind.

Kyle continued, "Anyways... I think it's best we start heading back Lena. Wouldn't want poor Winston missing us for too long". It was clearly sarcasm, but it seems to have gone amiss with Lena.

Lena nodded seriously, "Right! Winston must dearly miss us so!".

"Winston?", Angela blinked, "Why are you two here? What is going on?".

He nodded to Lena.

Lena grinned widely, and was on her feet in a second.

Striking a pose, Lena cheered, "All Agents are being recalled!".

He wiped at his mouth once more with the same sleeve, "Overwatch is being reformed in preparation for the danger the world is facing.

Talon's one of the major problems, but the recent resurgence of an Omnic Uprising in Russia also has us itching to reform".

"But the Petras Act...".

"That act and the rest of the UN can kiss my sweet ass", he crossed his arms, "They're nothing but a bunch of cowardly bureaucrats trying to keep the population happy and to boast their power to the other nations. But when it comes to throwing punches, they suddenly get all meek and condemn it".

"Though I suppose it does get annoying when they actually come and throw punches. Namely the U.S and Canada", he scratched the back of his head, "But nevermind that! Just forget the Petras Act for a second and realize the need for Overwatch".

"We stood at the forefront of the world's defense from the Omnics. We'll stand at the forefront of the world's defense once more, whether they want it or not, to protect them from themselves".

He scratched his cheek, "Though I can't help but comment that a part of me has the desire to let the world beat itself up a bit before stepping in".

"Last time that happened, the Cyber-War happened".

"To be fair, Overwatch didn't exist then. And if the war never happened, I'm afraid I never would have become Lieutenant-Colonel so quickly", he shook his head, "But we're digressing. Doctor Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, I, Kyle "Revenant" Wasser have come here today to give you a proposal".

"Join the Overwatch Recall, and retake the mantel as the Civilized World's Guardian alongside your former comrades and soon-to-come new ones.

To protect the world from itself, and from those who seek to do it harm".

She looked at him.

Lena did too.

Spurred on in the heat of the moment, he extended out a hand to either one, "Overwatch's acalling and the Villains be waiting. Divided we fall, united we stand".

They both smiled.

Two hands clasped his.

Thus, an Angel joined the ranks of the reforming Overwatch.

...

...

 **Watchpoint: Northern Atlantic, 4 Hours Later**

The ramp came down and 3 people greet the returning party.

Winston and Phoenix both gave a curt nod and wave to him as he prepared to disembark, but he stops when he remembers something.

3 People came to greet the returning party.

Winston and Phoenix accounts for 2... wait, when in the hell was there an extra person?

"Well if it isn't my Second Valkyrie Suit Prototype", oh boy, it's the blonde dwarf isn't it?

One cursory glance was all it took.

"And in the hands of the Good Captain, no less. Should you not be dead, Captain Wasser?", the accent was thick and his pronounciation was odd, but he could understand every word perfectly fine.

While Angela had a tiny accent that hardly affected her speech, he couldn't say the same for the Weaponsmith.

He looked at Winston and calmly declared, "We've recovered Director Ziegler. I see you also have Torbjörn with you... do you care to explain how this came to be?".

"I can answer that", Torbjörn responded, "But only if you tell me how you are alive, and how you are in possession of my Second Valkyrie Suit Prototype".

"Why should I answer you, when I can simply get a straight-forward answer from Winston, Torby?", he raised his eyebrow in return.

"I believe I have the right to know how my Colleague survived", Torbjörn insisted, "Not to mention, you ARE using MY prototype".

He narrowed his eyes, "A prototype that I completed and kept safe from prying hands. You have no right to know what I have been through. If you want to know so bad, then you can ask the people who know it".

"Whatever happened to you has not made you anymore friendly, Captain", Torbjörn remarked, "It's as though you lost all sense of joy".

"I doubt you can say that, Torby, considering I hardly ever see you happy", Kyle crossed his arms, "Besides, when was I ever really friendly?".

"You were friendly to me, Love", Lena blinked, "You were the first person to become my friend".

"Right...", he coughed, "... Nevermind. Dieing tends to change you, so sorry Torby, but I'm not exactly the most sociable person anymore".

"I can tell...", Torbjörn's eyes turn to Angela. A smile formed, "A pleasure to see you again, Angela".

"It's been too long, old friend", Angela smiled in return, "How have you been?".

"Busy. An Old Friend had been stirring trouble with a Titan Omnic. Needless to say, it's been taken cared of", Torbjörn shook his head before he turned the question around to Angela, "And you?".

"Humanitarian Aid is all I've been doing", she replied, "I've been helping authorities where I can, but I've mostly tried to avoid violence".

"You haven't changed",Torbjörn nods to Lena silently.

Lena gave a friendly wave in return.

Winston declared, "Torbjörn responded to the recall. He is not the only one either. Reinhardt has responded and is on his way".

"Yeah!", Lena grinned and threw up both of her hands with glee, "We're getting altogether again, Love!".

"... I can't help but notice a momentary lapse of the joy you were exuding there, Winston", Kyle stared hard, "That indicates that you know something that we don't. What is it?".

Winston sighed, "Still as sharp as I remember. The Recall System has pinpointed the locations of a majority of our Former Overwatch Heroes, but they aren't responding to the recall. We may be forced to send teams out to recruit them once again".

"That shouldn't be trouble", Lena commented, "Right Love?".

"Lemme guess: They're some of our hard-ass Heroes?".

"Genji Shimada and Jesse McCree in particular", Winston winced, "As much as I don't want to say anything rude about them, they're not going to be easy to convince to return to Overwatch...".

"Because I'm involved with Overwatch", Kyle drew the conclusion and spoke what Winston thought despite not having anything to work off of, "Don't look surprised, I know your people just as I knew Sierra-7".

"Sierra-7?", Lena inquired.

"What's Sierra-7?", Torbjörn asked, "I don't remember anything called Sierra-7".

"Sierra-7 was the Official Designation for 'Echo Squadron' prior to their nickname becoming the popular common name", Winston explained, "Sierra-7 was founded by Commander Morrison and the Canadian Brigadier General: Elaine Harper in an effort to introduce Captain Wasser to Overwatch".

"I can retrieve you a complete history for Sierra-7 if you wish, in fact, I would even encourage it for my Squadron considering the threat they pose now", Kyle suggested, "I can create a dossier".

"Considering the threat they pose?".

"It's tied in with why I'm alive. Ask Winston for the whole scoop".

...

...

' _ **THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS CONFIDENTIAL**_ _ **'**_

 _ **LEVEL 5 CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR CENSORED ACCESS, CONTACT A HIGH-COMMAND OFFICER FOR UNCENSORED ACCESS**_

...

 **SIERRA-7 CONFIDENTIAL BACKGROUND AND INFORMATION**

' _Current High-Commanding Officer: Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser (Clearance Level 5)_

 _Current Second-Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Cilcia Agata Romana (Clearance Level 3)_

 _Current Head-NCO: Staff-Sergeant James Hartigan (Clearance Level 2)_

 _Total Number of Troops: 51 (19 in Casualty Reserves)_

 **ENTIRE PERSONNEL LIST**

 _Founding of Sierra-7_

 _Sierra-7, otherwise more commonly known as 'Echo Squadron' is an experimental joint-strike force created during the Omnic Crisis under the authorization of Commander John Morrison and founded by the Canadian Brigadier General Elaine Harper. The directive of the experimental joint-strike force was to create a task force capable of achieving feats that would otherwise, require a large army or the 'Original Strike Force' that consisted of Overwatch's Finest Heroes._

 _Every single officer and trooper associated with Sierra-7 were only considered for Sierra-7's roster by exceeding or meeting certain criterias. Such Criterias include a certain amount of confirmed kills, number of medals awarded and a variety of other statistics that confirm the Candidate to be a skilled combatant in one way or another._

 _This makes it so Sierra-7's force was made up of elite soldiers, and nothing but the finest of the different member nations that submitted forth some of their best to contribute to the fight against the Omnics._

 _Needless to say, there was a large selection of candidates, each with a spectacular record that were fairly equal to one another._

 _After the initial 49 members were enlisted and the NCO positioned awarded to one amongst them, a search was conducted for the Senior Commanding Officer for the Squadron. While Commander Morrison and Commander Reyes both proved to be more than adequate for command of the elite, new squadron, their involvement with overall Command of Overwatch and Blackwatch (respectively) meant a different member had to be chosen._

 _While some other Heroes were also enticing, it was ultimately chosen that the Senior Commanding Officer would have to be an exceptional soldier who had yet to be recruited into Overwatch._

 _Naturally, one name stood out amongst other 'star soldiers'._

 _Lieutenant-Colonel Kyle Lazarus Wasser of the Central Canadian Corps, the Youngest Lieutenant-Colonel in Canadian History, and one of the world's up-and-coming Upstarts._

 _Recommended by nearly every single Officer in North America (Including, albeit begrudgingly, the U.S), and also recommended by Brigadier General Elaine Harper, there was little to no protest when he was selected as a Candidate._

 _Shortly after the screening process (Psychiatric Tests, Physical Tests, Mental Aptitude Tests, and various other tests), Captain Wasser was chosen to become the Senior Commanding Officer for Sierra-7, coincidentally due to his position as the Head of Cyber-Security for Overwatch also meant that Sierra-7 would have hacking capabilities._

 _The selection of the Second-Commanding Officer was much more simpler. A distinguished list of soldiers was selected, and Captain Wasser was responsible for choosing._

 _After a few days of selection, interviews, and tests, Captain Wasser ultimately recommended that Major Cilcia Agata Romana of the Elite Kommando Force in Germany be put under his command as his Second. With no protest, the Squadron was formed quickly and put into action for the first time._

 _Sierra-7 was sent forth during a Major Offensive Operation that was at the brink of failure with orders to punch straight into the Heart of the besieged Omnic Facility, wipe out the God Program and restore order to the region._

 _Sierra-7 succeeded with spectacular results. Not only did Sierra-7 accomplish their mission without a single casualty (Bar for a few bullet wounds and serious requirement of medical attention), but they accomplished an incredible feat._

 _Captain Wasser and Lieutenant Romana succeeded in **containing and enslaving** the God Program of the Region, which in the process put the entire region's Omnic Population under Overwatch Control (Meaning further military operations in the region were unneeded). _

_With startling success as their first operation, the 'experimental' part of the Force was put into effect._

 _..._

 _ **WARNING: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REQUIRES CLEARANCE LEVEL 6 FOR ACCESS; PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CLOSEST COMMANDER FOR TEMPORARY ACCESS**_

 _Experiments_

 _Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser – Psycho-active Nerve Agents (Induces aggressive behavior, dulls pain receptors), **CLASSIFIED EXPERIMENT; CONTACT DIRECTOR ZIEGLER FOR COMPLETE ACCESS** , **CLASSIFIED EXPERIMENT; CONTACT DIRECTOR ZIEGLER FOR COMPLETE ACCESS AND SAFE MEASURES AGAINST HAZARD POSED BY EXPERIMENT**_

 _Lieutenant Cilcia Agata Romana – Psycho-active Nerve Agents (Induces aggressive behavior, dulls pain receptors), Retina-Implants (Aids in Depth Perception), **CLASSIFIED EXPERIMENT; CONTACT DIRECTOR ZIEGLER FOR COMPLETE ACCESS**_

 _Remaining Troopers – Psycho-Active Nerve Agents (Induces aggressive behavior, dulls pain receptors), Submissive Implants (Induces submissive behavior to commands)_

 _Noted Abnomalities in Sierra-7 Personnel_

 _Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser – Ever since lacing psycho-active nerve agents within Captain Wasser's food, observations have shown that Captain Wasser's body language to have become much more imposing and aggressive. Interviews with acquaintances have remarked that Captain Wasser now has a 'smoldering intensity' in his eyes, but has otherwise not changed on a personal level._

 _ **CLASSIFIED INFORMATION**_

 _ **CLASSIFIED INFORMATION**_

 _ **CLASSIFIED INFORMATION**_

 _ **CLASSIFIED INFORMATION**_

 _Overall, Captain Wasser's abrupt and strange changes has provided invaluable data to every department associated with his experiments. Furthermore, his sudden willingness to comply after discovering the nature of the experiments go further to prove his worth. Captain Wasser has been authorized to be given Clearance Level 5 in wake of the experiments and his recent promotion to Head of Cyber-Security._

 _However, due to the nature of some of the experiments being conducted upon him, Director Ziegler has been authorized to become Captain Wasser's personal psychiatrist in order to observe any changes in his behavior in a more intimate setting._

 _..._

 _Lieutenant Cilcia Agata Romana – After introduction of psycho-active nerve agents, Lieutenant Romana has displayed much more aggressive behavior from before. Captain Wasser himself has discussed with Experiment personnel that Lieutenant Romana's boosted aggressiveness has clouded her judgement in the battlefield. Lieutenant Romana's assigned psychiatrist has also commented that her behaviour suggests that she may be deliberately fighting on the battlefield in a manner that ensures she kills rather than complete a mission._

 _ **CLASSIFIED INFORMATION**_

 _ **CLASSIFIED INFORMATION**_

 _ **CLASSIFIED INFORMATION**_

 _In conclusion, experiments with Lieutenant Romana is to be terminated immediately once minimal data has been gathered. The safety hazards she poses to Overwatch is a constant cause of concern, and thus by Commander Morrison's orders and Captain Wasser's recommendations, lowering of psycho-active nerve agent doses are to be acted upon immediately._

 _Furthermore, sedatives are to now be administed to Lieutenant Romana whenever she is in an Overwatch Base in order to compensate for the side-effects caused by **REDACTED**. Lieutenant Romana's psychiatrist has noted that Romana may or may not have a romantic interest in Captain Wasser, a feeling that has been noted that Captain Wasser has found entertaining. _

_Contingency plans **REDACTED** indicates that the best course of action should Lieutenant Romana **REDACTED** would be for **REDACTED** to **REDACTED**._

...

...

...

"The damage is repairable", Angela leaned back in her seat and away from his opened arm, "Though I feel the need to ask, why is your arm part-cybernetic?".

"I'm paralyzed in my left arm", he replied nonchalantly.

Angela gave him a serious look, "Paralyzed? By what?".

"Building's collapse. Turns out a couple tons of rubble tends to do that to you", his comment gives a sharp sting, yet there was no sign of malice from him.

She winced slightly, but unable to help herself, she drew her hand forward and traced his arm with her hand gently. While there was an artificial hardness to it underneath the skin, the warmth she remembers was still there.

Back in the past, between the playful banter between a Doctor and her Patient, there was a hidden sexual tension. While she could say the same for every male of Overwatch, more so since she was closer with a few others than she was with the 'Good Captain', there was a unique tension between the times where she spent it with him.

Reinhardt and Torbjörn were both interesting men in their own right. It might of even been more appopriate in a sense since it was more normal to see older men with younger women than it was the other way. But she was never able to feel a sexual or romantic attraction to either men.

The same went for the constantly cold Commander Morrison and the eccentric, grim Commander Reyes.

Genji Shimada, the insider they later exploited to take down the Shimada Yakuza was also too... 'eccentric' (For a lack of a better term) for her to become romantically involved in. If anything, she saw him as a child of some kind, something she nurtured since she was the one responsible for saving him.

Kyle Wasser, the 'Good Captain' as she called him was always independent. She never saved his life. She only took care of him. There was a bond there. Furthermore, Kyle was always open to personal questions and seemed like the most 'normal' person around. He had family, siblings, friends, and he was more than happy to talk about them if you asked.

He was friendly, he was charming, he was well-received by everyone. Reyes had a grudging respect and Morrison saw him as an able-bodied Leader. While professional, and serious at times, he still cracked sex jokes, puns, and generally kept a light-hearted atmosphere whenever he waltzed around the base.

It was why Lena took a shining to him, and why the Majority of Overwatch idolized him.

Besides... when you spend so much time listening to someone's thoughts and understanding them, you forge a stronger bond.

So perhaps there was an underlying tension between the both of them. Definitely for her, since she couldn't deny the attraction, but nobody really knows about Kyle's thoughts about romance in the past.

She regarded him calmly. His eyes had a new hardness that she never saw before, and there was a certain shine to them that would perplex her further.

He did what he did with a reason. He was no mere 'Terrorist', nor was he a 'Hero'.

He was Kyle Wasser.

The fragment of Captain Wasser.

The Revenant of Overwatch.

She looked at him with a softness, and quietly asked, "Whatever happened to you, Captain?".

"Captain died", he states.

"Not in my eyes, he hasn't", she replied.

He cocked an eyebrow of suspicion, "You're reminding me an awful lot of my Lieutenant, Angela. That's concerning".

"Why are you so cold, Captain? You used to be so... warm".

"If this is heading where it's going. **Stop** ", his eyes take on a sharper glare.

But she didn't, "I abandoned you in your hour of need, Captain".

"Many did. So **stop talking about it** ".

The train has started, and it won't stop, "You made the biggest sacrifice in Overwatch, Captain. You subjected your body to experimentation. You put your mind to the test after a God A.I attempted to destroy your cognitive functions. You gave up your life trying to protect the world

You gave up a lot, Captain. You've saved countless lives... mines on one occassion... Yet nobody was there when you needed help. Nobody came to save you.

I owe you a lot, Good Captain".

There's a hint of melancholy that suddenly clouds over the Revenant's eyes, and that was what made Angela stop.

With a bitter tone, he remarked, "... You owe a lot to the good Captain... but I am no Good Captain... the Good Captain is dead".

She took his hand in her own, "He is not".

She looked him in the eyes, a firm conviction in her eyes, "Whether you see yourself as who you are, is of little concern. It is who I see in you that matters most. I see a hurt man in need of aid. A Good Captain bewildered from the injuries in his mind. A Good Man with good intentions doing foul deeds, hoping to stop one day".

She gave him a rueful smile, "I am a Doctor. It is my job to tend to those who have been hurt".

"Then it may be best you tend to yourself first!", consumed by a sudden rage, he jerked his hand away and struck her a firm blow.

 _SMACK!_

The sound echoed the room as Angela's face jerked in the direction of the palm. An immediate sting stuck to his palms just as a searing pain ripped through Angela's cheek. One person was in shock in the wake of the event.

It wasn't Angela.

It wasn't Kyle either.

It was Lena, who gasps immediately from the doorway.

Fury in his eyes, he hissed despite the gripping of a dieing man deep inside, "Save your emotions to a man who can return it". He sagged slightly as the fury melts away at the thought of what he had just done, "... You deserve far better. Revenants don't love. I don't care. Save your emotions and your love, care, and devotion to someone who needs and deserves it".

Angela was a little surprised. A little, but she wasn't shocked. She brought her hand up to the redding imprint of a hand on her face, rubbing slightly as she asked, "... You are traumatized".

He winced.

Angela asked, "Was it your Lieutenant?".

"... She's gone and done it this time", he laughed dryly, "I stopped her once, and I'm trying to stop her for good".

"... I see", Angela's gaze softened once more, "I was not going to confess my love for you Captain... were you expecting me to?".

"It wouldn't be past me to think you would", he replied. He brought his palm back down and onto the table with a painful expression, "I apologize for hiting you... The idea of someone expressing love for Captain Wasser to me simply angers me... I am not Captain Wasser. Captain Wasser is dead. I am someone else. A Revenant".

"Captain Wasser is only as dead as the man himself thinks to be", Angela retorts with a kind voice, "... Think on that, Good Captain. If you wish to be nothing more than a Monster, then you can be such. But know that you can also return to the past. There are people who will wait".

"... But is it worth waiting for?", he asked her.

She touched his forearm this time, "It's worth waiting simply because I owe you that much. Think on that, Good Captain".

"... You're going to get yourself hurt, Angela", he murmured, "But I suppose I shall think on it. I apologize for striking you once again".

"Think nothing on it. You are psychologically hurt and sensitive, Captain. I am pleased to see you are still able to feel emotions after all these years", she smiled warmly despite the imprint on her face.

It stings.

He grimaced at the thought and looked away, standing up as he did. Quietly, he shuffled out without a word to the silent Lena, who looked at him with something akin to pity or sympathy.

A feeling that made him angry, but sad all the same.

He stopped and opened his mouth to say something. But the words refused to come out, so he simply rolled his tongue in his mouth before walking out.

...

...

 **Captain Wasser's Quarters, 30 Minutes Later**

 _KNOCK KNOCK_

"Captain! We have an anonymous tip!".

"Come in".

Winston slowly sauntered in, and immediately frowned at what he saw, "Are you using narcotics, Captain?".

"If Combat Drugs are Narcotics, then yes", he threw the used syringe away and began unbinding the injected arm.

"You aren't in combat, Captain".

"My addiction won't wait for it", he laughed dryly, "The Initial Testing left me addicted and they never found a way to treat it. Oddly enough, I was the only one who got addicted from my entire squadron".

"... I see. Do take care to try and hold restraint then, Captain. It won't improve if you don't take actions against it".

"Whenever I take actions against it, I wake up in an alleywall smelling of blood, alcohol, and bitter memories", he winced, "Alright, forget it. What have you got?".

Winston fixed his glasses, "Multiple agents have accepted the recall and we are making plans to pick them up. Reinhardt and Genji Shimada are part of this batch. Me and the others can recruit and bring the others back to this outpost, but I need somebody to make the trip to Japan".

"So you're suggesting me? That's fine, but how is a recall triangulation an anonymous tip?".

"We have an anonymous tip that Phoenix received an hour ago. It states that someone is planning an attack in Japan. Tokyo, in the center of Downtown. I need to send somebody there to try and stop it".

"So send me... huh?".

"You're the best suited to do so, and you're familiar of working independently".

"Lena isn't coming with me?".

"She will be helping me and the others pick up and recruit some of the old Overwatch Personnel to help get the ball rolling... so to speak. Would you prefer for her to work with you?".

"No, I prefer it like this. Something of this 'tip' rubs me the wrong way, and I can't help but feel that this is a trap of some kind".

"A trap?".

"Do you know what one of my favourite movies once were, Winston?".

"What was it?".

" **Kingsman: Secret Service. Cilcia knows I loved how the Richmond Valentine tried to destroy the world** ".

"And how did he try?".

" **He didn't do much. Just a little sound, and then the people did it for him** ".

...

...

 **Author's Note – And that's Chapter 5.**

 **Apologies for this one taking a while, School has just started up again, combined with the chaos of returning from abroad, doing the G1 Driver's Test and getting ready for Grade 11, it took a awhile to find the time I needed to write to my heart's content.**

 **Alas, I finally got chapter 5 up. I hope it's been entertaining and I can only hope that it continues.**

 **Thank you all for reading and cheers to you all for spending the time out of your, undoubtedly busy lives to simply read the text typed up by some Teen who has a love for writing.**

 **Anyways, I feel the need to address somethings that you might have noticed with the story.**

 **You don't have to read if you're not interested, but in case you had a few questions, I hope that I'll answer them below.**

 **Where's 'ATHENA', the A.I that Winston was talking to in his trailer?**

 **In the story currently, we're not exactly following the storylines presented in the Trailers and Game. While this isn't an AU (At least it's not my plan for it to be), this isn't the arc presented in the game or trailer either.**

 **In this version of the story, after Reaper attacked Watchpoint: Gibraltar and ended up failing his attack, Winston made plans to leave. He was interrupted by another attempted attack by Talon, and this time Talon succeeded in kicking him out.**

 **Winston, however, locked down Athena and the database before he left by destroying a majority of it to ward away Talon from accessing it.**

 **So that's why Athena isn't present at Watchpoint: Northern Atlantic, simply because Winston forcibly shut her down to protect the agent database to prevent Talon from gaining tracking capabilities.**

 **When is the Romance going to come in? The word count's pretty high, but there's been nothing but a few jokes and hints of romantic attraction here and there**

 **It'll come soon enough. I don't really have a 'plan' for when the romance shows up, I've simply been writing as what feels 'right'. I didn't want a romance to spring up 'out-of-nowhere' by simply saying that "Lena's in love with Kyle because they were buddies in the past".**

 **That was too much of an excuse, and since our MC is a bit of a deranged, desensitized, violent man who thinks himself to be unworthy of love for who he perceives to be dead, I felt it a duty to make it so that the romance is gradually introduced. But of course, I had to give some background, so I did make it apparent that Lena and Angela both are fond of him to some regard.**

 **Whether or not they acknowledge it is romantic or just platonic is up to them, though it's inevitable for love to come around since this IS a romance.**

 **So short form: It'll happen in time.**

 **Do you read the Reviews?**

 **I always read the reviews. I look for feedback from the readers whether it be praise, suggestions, or criticism. I welcome it all in equal measure, and encourage you all to leave a review if you want to share your thoughts or anything else.**

 **What about Private Messages?**

 **I try my best to reply to all messages. I like to think that I do that well... since I rarely ever get messages to begin with.**

 **But you're more than welcome to send a Private Message to me.**

 **Lena or Angela?**

 **Tough one.**

 **I have a natural preference for Blondes, so Angela has a bonus on that one.**

 **Yet at the same time, I find Lena's very bubbly, irrepresible personality a charm point too.**

 **...**

 **Why not both?**

 **Definitively though: I'd say Lena over Angela, but by a very small margin.**

 **Who gets into a romance first? Lena or Angela?**

 **Honestly, I dunno yet.**

 **Maybe I'll set up a poll to see who the people want first... if I figure out how to make a poll eventually. I'll figure it out. Probably.**

 **Rest assured though, picking one over the other just means who confesses first and who gets their first romantic scenes. Inevitably the other will confess too and it'll be a polyamorous relationship.**

 **Is it going to be ONLY Lena and Angela?**

 **Nah, I'll probably write up a romance for most (if not all, I dunno) female characters.**

 **Definitely Hana Song though, she's too much of an opportunity to pass up. Besides, I think her character is a little interesting and could provide some dynamic with a serious character like Kyle.**

 **...**

 **Widowmaker too.**

 **...**

 **Mei?**

 **Pharah?**

 **...**

 **We'll have to see just how many more female characters we get.**

 **It's a great thing that youth-preservation exists in the Overwatch Universe.**

 **Gives me more to work with.**

 **Why is the MC a complete asshole?**

 **Does he piss you off?  
**

 **He should, considering it is out of deliberation.**

 **When you get killed and abandoned by the people you once worked for, you tend to get very bitter and angry.**

 **Also it's a nice contrast to how he once was.**

 **You'll meet Captain Wasser eventually.**

 **...**

 **Welp, that's probably all there is.**

 **Cheers to you if you decided to read through all of it, no problem if you didn't.**

 **Thank you for reading, and here's hoping to see you in the next Chapter.**

 **\- Goodnames-alltaken**


	6. Chapter 6 - Belief

**On a Livestream**

' _DVa streams are the bomb. Every other girl streamer is all about tits and ass these days_ '

' _lol, like you can complain_ '

' _Some guys just want some girl playing games, not flashing themselves_ '

' _you sure? It helps that I don't have to go to pornhub for fap material nowadays_ '

' _To be fair, DVa doesn't always plays game_ '

' _Pls notice me DVa senpai~_ '

She gulped down one last gulp of Mountain Dew and crunched down one last Dorito before she gave a content pat on her stomach and turned back to her screen. Normally, she'd be playing Starcraft or any of the mainstream games that was released recently for her stream.

But today, she decided to take it tame. Play a few of the old classic games where people listed out choices and she was forced to answer a decision using the choices given.

It was just a treat for her stream fans, a way to let them interact with her other than playing online games and getting their ass kicked in by her talent for games.

She doesn't really choose what games the stream participates in, it just sort of... happens.

She's interacting with chat, and whenever someone suggests a game that everyone agrees on, she goes along with it.

As such, we witness as a game is suggested.

' _DVa! Kill, Fuck, Marry! Your choices: Me, Me, or Me?_ '

' _har-har, you're so funny_ _FriscoFan12_ _, but I like the game_ '

' _Alright! Alright! Chat, how about we play Kill, Fuck, Marry then?_ '

' _how would that work, lol_ '

' _we give names I guess? Just not yourself... that's lame, not interesting since everyone would just put themselves up and it'd be boring_ '

' _Mod, can you quickly repeat the rule in bold for chat?_ '

' _K_ '

' _*NO SELF-INSERTS. WE ARE PLAYING KILL, FUCK, MARRY. SUGGEST NAMES_ '

' _Robert Greenway!_ '

' _Overwatch's Commander Morrison back in his prime_ '

' _lol, how 'bout Johnny Sins_ '

' _Bruh. Lieutenant Jenkins, U.S Army_ '

' _Get real.. Harry Erlington, Representing us Brits Lads!_ '

' _Captain Kyle Wasser of Overwatch, #CanadianPride, Should've been a model_ '

' _Thespion 4.0. Omnics are hot_ '

She tuned out from her chat to go get a new bottle of soda. Wasn't hard since her fridge was stocked up with Mountain Dew. Unsurprising considering it was 'Gamer Fuel', so it was natural that she'd have it in bulk.

Bathroom break was also thrown in.

She came back and found her chat already decided.

Settling back into her seat and lazily opening the fresh bottle of Mountain Dew, she inquired, "Alright! Who's up for choosing?".

' _* Kyle Wasser of Overwatch, Young Commander Morrison of Overwatch, or Lucio_ '

She was unfamiliar with the names belonging to Overwatch, but was more than well aware of Lucio.

Who didn't?

Lucio was the hip-and-hype music of the century, and you'd be other an ancient old person who couldn't care less for modern music, or you simply had 'trash' taste in music altogether. One thing was for sure though...

That Brazilian Superstar was often shipped with her by her fans simply because of their incredible celebrity status and because of how young and 'energetic' they both were. She was a fan of his music though, so she did see some appeal in the Brazilian.

She quickly made a quick google search.

' _Commander Morrison Overwatch Young'_

She finds an array of flattering and professional images of the young Commander in his prime.

Firm jawline, blonde hair, a piercing glare in his eyes that would charm any maiden and features that was charming to all, even to the heterosexual men. Standing tall and firm in the Overwatch Officer's Coat and Armour, his back basked in sunlight as dead Bastion Bots lay around him.

It was a photo from back when the Omnic Crisis had first come around.

Strike-Commander Morrison was always a charming man, but no one ever really knew if he had children, wife, or any family back home. He never spoke about it. Even from a glance in the photo, Hana could sense the grim and brooding air that surrounded the man. The lack of warmth in the stare, which was more of an appraising one than one of mutual curiousity.

There is nothing to be felt other than that of a True Soldier's stare and the sheer weight of his presence.

Very good-looking, but very serious by all means. Probably frightening if met in person. She never really could get into the whole 'I'm a Soldier' mind-set, so she can't say she was fond of people who managed to think like in such a way.

She quickly googled up the last name she couldn't really recognize.

' _Kyle Was-_ '

' _DID YOU MEAN: KYLE LAZARUS WASSER?_ '

She hits enter.

' _Kyle Lazarus Wasser_ '

Immediately, she was struck with a face that was elegantly dignified. Charming to the point where it was comparable to Strike-Commander Morrison, but something inside her made her immediately like him more.

Gray Eyes, Black Hair, the Overwatch Officer's Coat and Armour alongside a dignified face. Anyone in his presence would be looking in his direction.

He stood at a Korean Harbour. She could tell by the writing on some of the signs of some carts and shops in the image. He was facing the camera, a calm, almost serene superiority on his face as a visible splash the size of a skyscraper loomed in the waters.

Something in her head clicked.

Every Korean knew of what happened in this image, but they never really knew who did it. But she realized who it was.

So it was Captain Wasser then, who made himself a legend in Korea? To single-handedly take out a Titan Omnic without so much as flinching before turning away?

She cocked an eyebrow with amusement, "He doesn't look like much", she said aloud.

Her chat floods with Canadian Fans defending their Dead Treasure. Some even spammed the Canadian Flag.

' _Americans thought so too, lol, and look what happened_ '

' _Rlly? He scares the crap out of me_ '

' _lmao, DVa, you don't know a Legend when you see one. Guy's a beast_ '

' _#CanadianPride Ladssss_ '

She rolled her eyes and began to banter with her chat once more.

The Game was forgotten quickly, but she didn't forget the name.

Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser, the Nightmare of Omnics and Man, the Digital Terror. The Captain of Overwatch, and the Killer of Titans.

The David to Goliath.

It's a good thing she works for the Korean Military now...

It meant access to military data.

Including Overwatch's personnel.

…

…

 **Nepal, in the Mountains, at an Indescript Village**

"How cute", he gave a derisive snort, "Should've known Talon faked the signal to stage a quick-ambush. Too bad for them, I'm not technologically inept like the others".

The Recall Signal that Winston shared with his datapad was a false signal. Very meticulously crafted, and with legitimate protocols admittedly, so it was no wonder that Winston and the others were tricked. But using his trace-protocols and manual scans of the signal, he discovered the fabrication and was able to message Winston that the signal was a fraud and to be careful with the other signals should they also be false.

After running a few sub-routines into the hacked infrastructures still left exposed to his datapad after the years as the Commander of the Revenants, he was able to narrow down where Genji Shimada was. After a bit of intuitive work and more hacking and pinpointing/tracing, he was finally able to deduce the Shimada's location.

In a small village in the Mountains of Nepal.

Didn't know why the Japanese Shimada Cyber-Ninja was in Nepal, but he didn't question it. His main concern was landing the craft in an adequate place at the village.

Which was why he was still in a circling pattern over the village. He had arrived a while ago, but was still trying to calculate the best angle of approach to a small, cramped potential landing zone near the center of the village.

It would be unorthodox to land there, but he didn't have much of a choice. He flipped a few switches and snapped off a few curses, "Of course it has to be a pain in the ass here too. Torby took away the Valkyrie Armour to make repairs and adjustments, so that meant I can't just fly in there with the armour".

Within the next ten minutes, he slowly began to descend. Eventually, the ship touched down safely near the center of the village. The plane gave a hiss as the cabin depressurized. As soon as the hissing stopped, he removed the mandatory oxygen mask and began unstrapping himself.

He finished up, the cockpit opened, and he stood up into the cold mountain air.

He adjusted the Overwatch Officer's Coat he was wearing with something akin to discomfort.

It felt wrong to be wearing an Overwatch Uniform. More so when he isn't a Hero. He fixed the blue scarf around his neck firmly before he slid off the craft and into the snowy ground.

A few Villagers muttered something in a foreign tongue that was one of the few he wasn't able to understand. He could speak at least 50 languages, a staggering amount to a normal person, but odd considering his circumstances and experiments.

We'll understand how he learnt to speak so many languages in the future, but for now, just know that Kyle's fluent in most major languages.

His eyes, colder than the winter weather around him, looked through what he could see in the village.

Didn't see anything that stood out.

He stopped and stared into the distance, further up the mountain along a snowy path with a rickety wooden fence. He swore he could see a structure of some kind.

Narrowing his eyes, he focused intently.

Looks to be some sort of structure built on the mountain. Perhaps a Monastery of some kind? He thought this was a Buddhist Region, so it wouldn't be out of the equation.

He looked on for a while, and was interrupted when a cold, hard hand touched his shoulder.

A soothing voice spoke, calm, serene and zen-like. However, it was unmistakably...

 **OMNIC**.

He had a flashback.

He could remember the cold steel gripping his shoulder from behind as he fired his weapon into the unending horde of Bastions. His shoulder snapped with a crack and he strangled out a furious roar.

He turned around and met a Bastion Droid's 'eyes'.

The stench of gunpowder.

The feeling of his blood seeping down the bullet wounds.

The crunch of his shoulder from the Bastion.

The feeling of dread as he watched the Crusaders begin to falter.

Eichenwalde was going to fall, and he was going to fa-

 **NO**.

This was no Bastion Droid.

This was not Eichenwalde.

This was not one of those damn operations where he failed.

He was not helpless.

He wasn't with Overwatch.

He was not the Captain.

He was the Revenant left in the Captain's wake.

He blinked hard and realized he was looking into the eyes of the more peaceable Omnics. The kind that were more humanoid than the Bastion or War-Droids that waged the Omnic War against Humanity.

"Ah, a Guardian of the World. Welcome to the Shambali Village", peacefully, the Omnic extended both of his hands to both sides.

"Shambali Village...?", he repeated it unsuredly, "... What in the hell is... Wait... Shambali? As in Tekharta Mondatta, Shambali?".

The Omnic looked a little downcasted at the mention of the dead Martyr, but gave a slow, solemn nod, "Yes... We were Brother Mondatta's Disciples... May he find peace in the afterlife".

To be completely honest, he didn't give half a shit about the Omnics. If anything, he had no qualms on the idea of killing them. Granted, the same applied to humans, but he wasn't going to voice that aloud.

Instead, he took charge by asking, "I'm searching for Genji Shimada. Where is he?".

"Genji Shimada?", the Shambali Monk took a moment to think.

His eyes dim slightly in something akin to annoyance... or maybe disdain? Definitely negative though, "The Warrior? He is under the care of one of our former disciples, Brother Zenyatta".

"You sound as though you don't like him".

"He is a former disciple. He disagrees with the way of the Shambali. He believes that the idea of spreading our message to the masses by speeches is incorrect, but rather we should be doing actions to spread the message".

"Sounds like my kind of Omnic", he snorted, "Where is the Omnic then? I seek Shimada, and it seems he is with the man".

"...", the Shambali Monk quietly pointed off in certain direction, "... You will find them together at the Village Training Grounds. Be mindful of your actions for you are watched, Guardian. Farewell", with a slow deliberate pace, the Omnic walked away.

He muttered to himself, "Spiritual Omnics. What's next? A Sex-Hungry Omnic?".

He began walking once more.

…

 _Shing!_

"At ease, Genji. There is no need to provoke the man. He comes forth with peaceful intentions, isn't that so?".

"Depends on the response I get", Revenant replied with a severe tone that nearly made Genji leap forward.

Zenyatta, the Omnic Monk who was mysteriously floating in the air with a necklace of painful-looking metal balls shook his head slowly. With a calm tone and with an amiable air, Zenyatta spoke, "There is no need for violence, Captain Wasser. We are all allies here, and are all equal in the eye of the Iris".

"... Right", he uneasily replied, "How do you know my name?".

"I know of everyone Genji knows. For I am his mentor and friend", Zenyatta spoke with pride.

Kyle implored Genji with his eyes and by speaking to him, "Shimada, good to see you well and alive. It seems Talon hasn't tried to hunt you down. Who is this...", he paused and chose his words delicately, "amiable monk?".

"He is my mentor, Tekharta Zenyatta", Genji slowly eased back into a meditative seat in the snow, "... You should be dead, Captain Wasser".

"I suppose I should be", even if a part of him wanted to see, he was, Angela's words were still ringing in his ears.

Uneasy, he shifted his posture as the snow continues to come down gently.

Zenyatta gave a slow nod, as though contemplating. A few minutes pass by in silence, with Revenant silently staring, Zenyatta thinking, and Genji meditating.

Eventually, Zenyatta spoke, "There is a pain in you, Captain. A misery in your eyes, and an ache in your heart. You are not whole. You are yet to be one... to be complete before the Iris".

"...", Revenant... or rather, Kyle slowly frowned. He looked slightly shaken, but he didn't seem deterred otherwise, "Whether I am whole, or not fails to be important in my eyes. What is important, is the reason for my intrusion to this village".

Kyle made eye contact with the Shimada, "Genji Shimada, the Overwatch Recall has been initiated despite the lack of support of the UN and the restrictions of the Petras Act. Overwatch is being reformed, and we are collecting agents.

You were one of us, and I have come to ensure that you are part of the team once more".

"... I will not", Genji didn't break his meditation, "For I have been enlightened by my friend and Mentor, Zenyatta. Overwatch is not the way".

"Look champ", annoyed, he shifted his posture, "You're either coming with me willingly, or unwillingly. There's no alternative to it. You may still be sore about us completely tearing apart the Shimada Yakuza, but you will know, whether by force or thought, that Overwatch is the only viable and efficient method to end the threats of the world".

"Violence breeds nothing but violence, Captain", Genji replied evenly, "If you seek to intimidate me, you shall find yourself disappointed in that I fear nothing. For I once feared my body, and what I had become. But thanks to Zenyatta, I have learnt to embrace my nature".

"... I couldn't care less what you learnt to embrace and what you feared", now feeling an ache in his wrist, he narrowed his eyes at Genji, "Then shall I issue a challenge? You and I shall duel with blades. If I win, you will be coming with me to Overwatch and will stay as an Active Agent. If you win, I will ensure that Overwatch doesn't bother you any further".

"I shall not enterta-".

 _BANG_.

 _SCHWING!_

He leaned to the side as his shot deflects back and grazes past where his head was. He grinned a wide, blood-hungry grin, "If you won't entertain a duel, then I'll just tear your body apart. Limb-for-limb, and bring you back to Angela for her to repair".

"I do not know what has happened to you, Captain", Genji slowly stood up, unnerved at the sight.

Such a ferocious grin. It was unnatural. No person could manage it with such sincerity. Even the most terrifying psychopath would fear such a smile.

Genji calmed his nerves into serenity, and growled, "You are nothing more than an animal. If that is so, then I will put you down for the good of the world".

Zenyatta slowly hovered away, "I do not approve of violence. We can achieve peace through diplomacy. End these aggressions at once, Captain".

"Make m-", he side-steps the lunge and narrowly avoids Genji's lunge attack.

"Genji! Cease fighting him needlessly at once! Violence will not solve anything!", Zenyatta hissed immediately as he watched his pupil spin on his heel and throw 3 shurikens.

With a fast roll, Revenant avoided the shurikens before racing to his feet and snapping off 3 shots in retaliation.

2 shots are avoided, but the third predicted how Genji would dodge and ends up landing home against Genji's left forearm.

With a low laugh, Revenant loomed over Genji, "I know how you fight. If I wanted, I could break you without getting so much as a scratch".

The snow seems to kick up in intensity. The wind howls madly as a crack of abrupt lightning thunders overhead. He loaded up the revolver in a flash and bared the barrel at Genji, "Now _DANCE NINJA_ ", he opened fire.

Every shot is deflected.

He began to march forward as the bullets find home in his body.

3 Rounds punch straight through his abdomen, tearing apart nothing but muscle.

One bullet hits his shoulder and nearly breaks his collarbone, but doesn't succeed as it is stopped by the cybernetic plating used to restore the use of his paralyzed left arm.

The remaining 2 rounds miss altogether.

He marched without a slow to his pace. Genji threw 3 shurikens.

2 bounce harmlessly off the metal armour, but one punches through and punctures his skin painfully.

"How about we forgo the petty ranged weapons and turn to more... primal weapons?".

"...", Genji watched in silence as Revenant dropped the revolver and pull something out of his coat.

Looked like the hilt of a blade, but no blade was there.

With a flick of his arm and a tight grip, a long blade extends out from inside the hilt to reveal the nature of the weapon.

A traditional double-edged longsword, something that looked more at home with a knight than an Overwatch Agent.

"Don't be fooled by what you think you know", he warned with a deadly glint in his eyes, "The Night Raids have taught me to kill with every weapon. Desperation spurns the art of killing... though you may just find that out after I begin to dance.

Now, let me test my sharpened will against your finesse, weak steel".

Genji, with a new cold resolve resheated his katana upon his back before bringing his hands together in a meditative posture.

With a detached tone, he ushered the words that made Zenyatta disappointed, " _WITNESS ME_ ".

The Revenant gave a shrill laugh of bloodlust, " _ONCE MORE, UNTO THE BREACH_ ".

They both race forward.

Revenant brought the sword up to the _Ochs_ Stance, aiming the blade firmly at Genji's visor as he ran forward with fury in his eyes.

Genji raced forward with his hand on the hilt of his katana, which still sat in his sheath as he watched the blade of the Revenant.

Revenant felt the rage boil as he drowned himself in the bitterness over his death.

 _LEFT TO ROT._

His steps became blurs.

 _BURNT IN HELL'S FIRE_.

His eyes were sharper than his blade.

 _BETRAYED._

He picked up the pace even further.

 _THE NIGHTMARE AWAKENS_.

He enters range.

With a deft thrust, he lunged forward with the longsword aimed for Genji's throat.

Genji side-stepped and unsheathed the katana with a swift blur.

With a movement so fast that it produced a sonic boom, the katana came down for Revenant's shoulder.

Swiftly recovering and bringing the sword over his targeted shoulder, he angled his sword down in a slope as the katana strikes steel. Sparks fly as the katana slides down the smooth surface of the sword and harmlessly follows through towards the ground.

Using his sword's position to his advantage, he immediately started a powerful downwards swing that comes down for Genji's shoulder.

Genji dodges it with ease, and goes for Revenant's open back with a swift slash of the katana.

Revenant quickly followed through with his missed swing by quickly positioning the blade right behind his back from below, causing the katana to clash against it instead of the armour beneath. Using Genji's position to his advantage, Revenant gave a mule's kick to Genji's abdomen, sending the Cyber-Ninja stumbling back.

With a fierce spin and a fiercer swing, the longsword came in from the right in hopes of decapitating the ninja in one swift motion. But the katana had other plans.

Taking a major risk, Genji rolled backwards quickly as the sword swung past over his head.

Seeing a potential opening, Revenant quickly lunged with a thrust in hopes of catching Genji as he goes to get onto his feet.

Genji had seen it coming, and instead of getting up, lunges forward in the crouched position, using his katana as a spear.

But some sort of intuition had warned Revenant ahead of time, who side-steps contrary to his lunge as Genji passes through nothing but air. To add salt to the wound, Revenant swiftly slashed Genji's back with the blade, causing a quick hiss to come from Genji as he quickly recovers and prepares for the next trade.

"You can still stop this, Genji", Zenyatta spoke, "You too, Captain".

" _YOU CANNOT STOP A NIGHTMARE. YOU CAN ONLY SUBMIT AND LET IT END_ ", with a laugh, Revenant raced forward.

With a fury in his eyes, the onslaught begins.

Overhead swing.

 _SCHING!_

Sparks fly.

Side-swing.

 _SHING!_

Sparks spray.

Soon, the world ceased to exist for the two swordsmen.

Nothing but their blades existed.

The battle of two wills.

One of anger, one of honour and redemption.

With side-steps lighter than a feather, with swings faster than sound. With wills stronger than steel, and eyes sharper than any blade, they met each other at the gates of hell.

One, a Revenant who was born for nothing but murder.

The other, a Specter returned, seeking redemption.

Two Hells, Two Beliefs struck.

One sought to force the world to submit to his will, whether by a show of force or by saving it in one furious clash.

The other sought to peacefully change the world, to steer the ship, an inch per year in a gradual but steady motion to make it better.

Should either one been any worse than the other in their haze of battle, they surely would have slaughtered each other without question.

Both were Master Swordsmen.

Whilst Genji was obvious, Captain Wasser was not known to be possessed of such a skill.

But when you live through the Night Raids.

You learn to kill, and you learned to kill with _everything_ if you wanted to live.

You would learn to kill with a gun, as well as you would learn to kill someone with a mug and its fragments.

The Sword was an elegance that belonged only to Samurais, Knights, and the Warriors of Old.

But when your actions coincide.

When you are spurred on by the same desperation, hunger, and maliciousness they were forced to carry to _survive_.

The sword was no mere weapon.

It was your _will._

It was your _REASON_.

It.

Was.

Your.

 _SURVIVAL_.

And so they fought.

For how long? Neither knew.

They clashed repeatedly.

Using advanced maneuvers in hopes of getting the edge of the other.

For every cut the Revenant gave, the Specter retaliated in kind.

For every wound the Specter suffered, the Revenant paid for in blood.

None were superior, both were greater.

The Warrior of the West and the Warrior of the East.

The Iron Will against the Iron Belief.

Sweat poured from the Revenant, and each movement slowed with Genji.

Blood seeped from their wounds, their eyes dimming with each wound they suffered. But they refused to stop.

Even as a bone snaps in the Revenant, and as an arm shuts down entirely in the Ninja, they refused.

It continued for long.

Long, no one knew how much.

But it stopped almost as soon as it began.

With a sentence.

"Lena and Angela won't be happy about what we're doing", Kyle spoke abruptly as he eases his stance.

He lowered the longsword, which was bloody from Genji's wounds and the blood he was spilling from the gash in his right palm.

"Doctor Ziegler and Miss Oxton?", Genji asked as he eased his own posture.

Sparks flew from some of the damaged exterior, and some blood seeped from the suit. His katana was bloody from the Revenant's blood, but also from the sliced forearm of his dominant hand.

Kyle slowly shook his head, as though clearing the fog with a sigh, "Undoubtedy Lena will chide me for jumping to such methods. Angela will scold me for resorting to violence altogether".

Genji took a moment to take a few deep breaths, as though gathering himself once more, ".. Indeed. They would not approve of what we have done to each other now that we have taken a moment to speak".

"Perhaps this is pointless then", Angela's words about Captain Wasser came to mind, "Maybe it's for both of our sakes that we don't kill each other. We both have died once already, perhaps its best we avoid a second time".

With a flick, the longsword retracted back into the hilt safely before Kyle stored it in his ripped coat. With a light laugh, Kyle commented, "But maybe Angela wouldn't be surprised. She knew I was always a bit aggressive. Maybe I miss her lectures. Lena might not even chide me, she might just find this duel of ours as something amazing".

"She may even ask us to duel each other for her own entertainment", Genji suggested.

Kyle laughed a little harder in response, "Indeed. I apologize for drawing my blade and coming on so aggressively... I cannot say I've been too well ever since my betrayal by Commander Reyes. I've been fighting for so long that... It's become second nature".

"And I apologize for taking this further then it should have", Genji bowed respectfully as he sheathed his katana, "... You provoked anger in me that I haven't been privy to ever since I was taken in by Zenyatta".

"Then I will ask you once more, and I won't ask further: Will you return with me to Overwatch?".

"On one agreement", Genji casted a glance to the silent Monk who watched them with something akin to content now, "You allow me to bring my friend and mentor Zenyatta...".

"And that I am allowed to try and help you, Captain", Zenyatta spoke suddenly, "You will have to be willing to do as I ask whilst I try to help you come to terms with who you are".

He was about to say 'No' immediately. There was no way he was going to agree to Zenyatta's point, even if he was Captain Wasser. He was always a bit stubborn like that.

But he thought of something.

Something so unexpected to him, that he found his desire to say 'No' melt away to the pudgy feeling in his chest.

To bring Zenyatta along...

It could bring Lena some closure or help in regards to what happened in the past. Even if she acted bubbly and vigorous, he knew she was always a sensitive girl. To be able to tlak to a Shambali Monk... even if they weren't one any longer, would do her good.

Maybe give her closure, help her come to terms with what happened.

Furthermore, Angela would appreciate him bringing Genji and the Monk in.

The Monk shared her rather pacifistic views, even if the Monk wasn't unwilling to fight.

Besides, the Doctor would surely be delighted to see her former patient once more.

They'd both like him more for making it possible...

"Alright... Even if I might not want to... Lena and Angela will surely appreciate your company. I accept your proposition".

He couldn't help but wonder though...

' _When did I ever care for Lena or Angela's approval anyways? Why do I care about how they like me?_ '.

He gave a sigh and put a hand to his aching chest.

It wasn't aching from exertion. What it was aching for, made him weary.

"... Don't you dare".

…

…

 **Sometime Later, Captain Wasser's Quarters**

He felt himself give a scream of pain mere moments before he sat up in his bed. His sweat had drenched him and the sheets. The air was a little musky because of it, but he didn't care. His scars ached terribly after the nightmare.

How ironic.

The Nightmare of Man and Omnic suffered a nightmare himself.

He heard the rush of footsteps from somewhere in the distance, but found himself unable to focus.

The scars throb.

He took in deep and sharp breaths through his teeth, trying his best to ignore the pain. He even tried to stand up, but found his sense of balance too thrown off for it to be useful. So instead, he sat down on the side of his bed.

He _remembered_.

The terrible stench of blood.

The horrifying screams of dieing soldiers.

The ceaseless fury in his eyes.

The boundless aura of murder that surrounded him.

That final look of plead for mercy before he brought down the knife.

The comments of Captain Harper.

Her...

Soft.

Smooth.

Authoritive.

Voice.

" _What's the matter, Wasser? Falling in love? Now's not the time for that 'look'_ ".

" _What 'look'?_ ".

" _The 'Look' you normally give me when we're in my quarters. Now focus, we're set to attack in 30 seconds_ ".

"... _Did I honestly do that?_ ".

" _You did. Now focus,_ _ **LIEUTENANT**_ _"._

" _... Fair Enough, right behind you,_ _ **CAPTAIN**_ _"._

" _Oh Wasser, I feel the need to ask. Once the War ends, what are your plans?_ ".

" _Why ask me that now? Seems like the war would never end, considering how angry the Americans would be if they knew the full-extent of the war_ ".

" _It'll end, Wasser. Everything has an ending, this war included. So what would your plans be once it ends?_ ".

" _Probably persist with the Military. I'll hopefully be in a higher commissioned rank by the end of the war, so I'd probably stay on as a Senior Officer if possible. If not? Well... I suppose I could always turn Mercenary. Too late for College or University now, I'd be getting up there by the time I'd graduate with a degree_ ".

" _Really? That's a surprise_ ".

" _Be real here, Elaine"._

" _Maintain the formalities, Kyle"._

" _Considering you called me by name, something tells me you don't want to keep the formalities"._

" _Our relationship is nothing except for physical pleasure. Do not try to romanticize it, we had an agreement, Wasser"._

" _Fair Enough... Did you hear that? I think that's our signal to start the attack. On your orders, Captain_ ".

" _Stick with me, Wasser. Try to keep up_ ".

" _ **Just stay out of my way. Once the knife is swinging, it's nothing but killing**_ ".

" _Well, LOVE, I suppose I'll be providing supporting fire"._

" _Did you just say Love?"._

" _LOVE? ARE YOU THERE?"._

"HELLO~!? EARTH TO KYLE! EARTH TO LOVE! DO YOU READ ME?".

He blinked hard and came back to the world like a train crashing into a wall. His hand instinctively lurched forward and got a firm grasp of the invader's throat; ready to crush the windpipe in a heartbeat as the memories of the Night Raid and Captain Harper drift about.

It took a few moments further for him to gather his thoughts, and nearly a minute to come to his senses. He blinked when he realized that the room was deathly silent, and nothing but a pair of frightened eyes were imploring him for a reaction.

He realized what he was doing.

His hand was wrapped around Lena's throat as though the Grim Reaper had come to collect.

Though, his hand wasn't crushing her windpipe, it was still causing a fear in Lena.

Can't be blamed, but she's lucky he was no Grim Reaper coming to collect.

He was merely a Nightmare.

One, big, horrendous Nightmare, but only a Nightmare.

He released his grip instantly, but not of his own volition. It was though something deep inside forced him to release his grip. He frowned slightly at the possible implication, but instead opted out for the sudden urge that came from within, "Are you alright, Lass?".

Lena subconsciously rubbed her neck with her hand, a frightened look in her eyes as she tried to stammer out a response. Somewhere deep inside, an ache grew.

He managed a sigh, "Sorry, Sorry... I was... remembering the Night Raids... You caught me at the wrong time and I... I reacted on instinct".

The words came out.

"I just... I've been thinking of the past. I can't help it. I wonder how my sisters are doing, how my parents are. Hell, I even miss my old Commanding Officer, Elaine. I can't help but wonder how they've coped. What they do now... Do they have any hope that I would have survived? Or did they really take it at face-value that I had died? I wonder if they'd take me back. Welcome me... but a part of me knows better. That part of me told me they would shun me. A War Hero, turnt into one of the World's Most Wanted Terrorist?

If that wasn't a fall from grace, nothing was. My Parents would be heart-broken if they found out what happened to me... my Sisters would scold me, Elaine might even break my arm... but... I know better. I can't show my face until the time comes.

I need to replace Revenant's reputation. Because if I reveal myself to be Revenant without replacing that terrible reputation, I would soil the Good Captain's legacy. I would ruin him, and he deserves better...

Angela said he's only as dead as he feels he is...

Well...

I feel pretty fucking dead. The only thing I feel these days, is just anger. Maybe a tang of misery...

But hey.

Misery loves company, so why not my Regiment of Mistakes? Sierra-Mistake?".

He shook his head with a grimace on his lips, "I suppose it doesn't matter".

Lena's fear had disappeared from her face. Instead, she had a look of indecision.

What was she thinking?

Then, she did something to comfort him.

 **The question was, 'How did she comfort Revenant?'**.

...

...

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE - The Poll should be available, so go ahead and vote for whoever's scene you want for the story! The choices are fairly self-explanatory, but just so you know, you can rest assured that even if you vote for one character to get romantically involved first, the other will inevitably get involved too (Though after reading a certain review, I do have to agree that perhaps I should just limit the Romantic Options to 3 at most. I'll probably set up a poll for the 3rd character, or just go on my decision whenever the time comes)**

 **By the way: THE POLL WILL CLOSE ON SEPTEMBER 30TH, SO GET YOUR VOTES IN ASAP**

 **Oh, I also feel the need to state again: I do read the Reviews, so if you have any feedback/suggestions, I do strongly suggest it, but of course, you don't have to if you don't want to.**

 **Thank you all for reading, and have a wonderful day!**

 **\- Goodnames-alltaken**


	7. Chapter 7 - Solace

Lena's gaze turned warm.

It made him _remember_.

Made him remember the warmth of the candles on that birthday cake when he had first turned 12. The warmth of that embrace he got from his Sisters when he announced he was accepted into the Military as a Commissioned Officer.

The warmth of that fireplace in the winter getaway inside of the Lodgings owned by his parents, accompanied by a few friends and his sisters. The warmth of the gun's barrel when he fired it for the first time.

The warmth of blood in his chest when he was shot in the middle of his first night raid. The warmth he felt afterwards when he killed his first man via strangling him with his bare hands. Then, the warmth he felt when the spotlights came upon him when he got his first promotion; the start of a legendary career that would be burnt into Canadian History for good.

The warmth afterwards of the blood that would flow freely over him. Soon, so accustomed that he no longer felt the warmth. No longer did he feel warmth when his Sisters came to visit. No warmth when his parents saw him for the first time in years since he left for the army.

The time when the warmth returned...

Was when he met the at-the-time upcoming Sergeant Harper. A bond was forged, and the warmth returned. The warmth came when they survived their first night raid together. It faded away, but soon came back when she enticed him to bed her in a pure-physical relationship.

It stayed every night they shared.

But it didn't matter.

The War ends, and their relationship goes with it.

Overwatch had its shares of comfort and warmth. The people in it made him feel alive. Angela, Lena, Winston, Morrison, Reyes.

The people he hated and enjoyed being around, they all made him feel warm despite the emotions.

But that disappeared, alongside with the warmth when he 'died'.

It was cold.

Even when he began to start a romantic relationship with his Lieutenant, it was cold. Maybe it warmed a bit, but it was certainly cold.

Up until now, it was so cold...

And now?

In her arms?

There was warmth in his chest. A warmth he hated as a Revenant, but desired as a Man.

Wait...

In her arms?

"Shh... It's alright Love... I understand", her voice came melodiously from his right ear. He couldn't really hear from his left, and only then did he realize how she was holding him.

She was caressing his head against her chronal accelerator, where her breasts would normally be if the device wasn't there.

He grunted, "Not very comfortable against your chronal accelerator, Lass... My left ear is going numb".

"Oh... Sorry Love", shyly she allowed him to bring his head off of her chronal accelerator, "It's just that I...".

"Normally don't hug people? I normally don't get hugged either", he was hoping that she wouldn't do anything else.

But he found himself disappointed (Or was he?) when she threw her arms around him once more. Instead of pulling him in, this time, she pulled herself in against his chest.

She pressed in close, and she pressed in tight. Her chronal accelerator pressed against his chest vigorously as she pushed her head in as close as she could.

Which was mere centimeters away from his own face.

He nearly hit her on instinct, but stopped.

Not of his own voalition.

But by _HIS_ voalition.

A feeling inside his chest welled up with Lena's face so close to his.

If he was seeking a kiss, this would be his chance to get it. But he wasn't seeking anything, thus he didn't dare move.

Lena's eyes lingered over his features, as though taking them in for the first time. In particular, they lingered around his lips and eyes.

Lena found herself enraptured now that she was so close to his face. Every little detail of his feature was right before her eyes. Every single square centimeter of his elegantly charming face was mere centimeters away from hers.

If she wanted, she could have just stolen his lips, right then and there. Somewhere deep inside her, a voice urged her to do so.

But she didn't.

She rolled her tongue in her mouth and swallowed.

He noticed, but didn't comment. He just raised an eyebrow for a moment.

She was close against him. Chronal Accelerator firmly against his chest, and arms entwined behind his back. She nuzzled against the base of his neck out of instinct, and finds comfort in the warmth radiating off of his otherwise cold persona.

He shuddered at the possible implications caused by her actions, and at the warmth that came from her person. A warmth he had missed.

His arms wrapped themselves around her body despite his commands for it to stay still, and they tighten naturally to pull her in even closer.

Lena gave a slow moan, "L-Love?".

"Don't. You. _Dare_ ", he narrowed his eyes as he hissed angrily. He bit his tongue immediately after the anger registered with him, "I... I apologize... This is, by no means, comfortable for me...".

Lena's heart felt like a needle had been punctured into it as soon as that left his mouth. He sighed and eased slightly, so did his embrace, "This just... it reminds me of Cilcia... too much, like Cilcia".

The weariness in his voice finally began to show. His body relaxed in Lena's embrace, much to the chagrin of the Revenant; who was trying to maintain the tough-nightmare attitude he had kept up with for so long.

His eyes drained of that terrible light, and was replaced by a mere shimmer, "... These days, I feel... alright. A contrast to what one expects for a Revenant".

Lena perked up slightly.

"... But I don't deserve this. Comfort is not compatible with me. I kill, I suffer, and I'll die in time. I should never be satisfied. Never happy. For you to do this to me? You're...", he whimpered uncharacteristically, "You'll break me".

"I'll... break you, Love?", she asked timidly.

Caught up in a moment of the Revenant's weakness, she found herself in her own weakness.

She cared.

Too much.

"Please... Don't", she felt his arms melt away from her and to his sides stiffly, "... Don't break me. If you do...", the light returns to his eyes and his body turns harder than steel.

As it should, as it is expected for a Revenant.

"The World will pay a price in spilled blood. If I am to... break... Cilcia will break everybody in revenge. I am her favourite toy. A stolen toy, in her eyes; stolen by a sense of heroism that doesn't belong.

If you were to fix the mess that I am... if you or Angela were to ruin Revenant, you will anger her. You will incur the wrath of someone whose potential matches Talon in every sense. You would make an enemy of some of the world's most frightening villains".

He pushed her away, but gently.

He gave a weary smile and rubbed her head adoringly, "I care, Lena. I really do, underneath the scars, misery, anger, and nightmares I do.

 **I CARE MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE**.

But I won't allow myself to adore.

I can't do anything more... anything remotely intimate".

"I've made a deal with the Demons inside", he laughed, " **My Soul, for Vengeance. My Emotions, for the Power to do as I please. My Love, for her Determination** ".

" **Reyes will never kill me, because there's NOTHING to kill** ".

His eyes were ablaze as he left his quarters immediately.

As the door shuts immediately in his wake, a dumbfounded Lena was left behind.

She muttered his name quietly, "Kyle...", and sagged on the bed.

She looked around for something to work with.

And she finds something after a few minutes of searching his room.

A recording.

...

 _..._

 **The Training Area, An Hour Later**

The thrusters fire off in quick successions; in such a quick burst that the heat and sound was still coming off when the next one fired off. His feet glided across the metal panels along the floor as his blade danced wickedly through their targets; slicing apart drones without effort.

The Revenant Suit was faster than before. Recharging even faster, firing off quicker, and felt a lot lighter and aerodynamic without the scratches, dents, and punctures from the damage over the years.

Torby had outdone himself.

The mere sight of the Revenant armour being so... 'brand new', was enough to convince the Revenant to don it immediately and test it out. Though to be fair, a lot of it was mostly to get his mind off of Lena, and the warmth that she shared with him in his quarters.

To revel in that physical comfort, was to not honour the contract of his existence. To fail in being a Revenant, and to fail in avenging the Good Captain.

Everybody turned out to watch.

Though to be fair, most were just collected by the Recall and Winston, and they were here to see if it was true.

That the Legendary Captain was alive and kicking; just as a masquerading terrorist turned hero once more.

Or was it just a confused Hero who touched madness and terrorism?

Nobody was sure, but they couldn't care.

Not when they witnessed the spectacle of raw combat before them.

Genji was silent, but his wrist ached. Seeing combat was making him hunger for a chance of releasing some stress in violence himself. But Zenyatta's presence was all that keeps him watching.

With a fast spin, the blade sliced straight through the metallic cords keeping the Drone's head on its main body. The head goes lopping off like a kicked football; soaring through the air before landing and bouncing off the floor.

He dashed forward with the power of his thrusters; causing a wake of dust to stir in his wake as he impales the next drone with the blade. He carried on and shoulder-checked the dead off to the blade before slicing in a upwards arc with an underhanded swing to the next target.

It cleaves the target in half after a moment of resistance. Fury raged in his eyes as the next horde of drones is released by the automated targetting range. They began fire their non-lethal bullets at him. He ducked and weaved through them without pause.

Practiced motions. Expert Maneuvers.

Killer Instincts.

A roaring filled his ears as his pupil focused into pinpricks. His blade snapped out repeatedly in fast slashes as he dashes straight through the horde. He leaned back and the thrusters kill his momentum in anticipation before he turned around and dashed after the surviving and confused drones.

A few more seconds pass, and he slowed down and stopped altogether. His breathing was sharp and slightly ragged, but no less different and far better off than the drones.

Those caught in his wake, were in pieces; ripped to shreds, and sparking in death.

He gave a grunt and muttered, "The Breach is held... but for how much longer? The next wave will come in due time, and I shall return to the Breach once it beckons".

He began to walk away.

One foot in front of the other.

Smoke coming from the thrusters and that frightening, signature-of-Sierra-7 skull-facemask over his mouth looming at the crowd. Someone opened their mouth to give him a warning.

Unneeded.

With a fast turn around and a quick-draw, he fired off his revolver with the speed of McCree's High Noon.

Well...

It's High Noon SOMEWHERE in the World.

The Drone dropped like a stone.

He spun the revolver on his finger easily before staring Winston in the eyes, "You don't have McCree with you... I take it you want me to go after him?".

"In due time", Winston fixed his glasses, "I am, however, more curious about how you detected the fabrication of the recall signal. How did you find out?".

"I wasn't head of Cyber-Security by trusting every piece of digital information given to me", he responded.

He gave a once over the ranks of the recall.

Quite a few faces he can remember; since a lot of them were lower ranking Officers or some of the 'Hero' types. Not that it mattered though, he was only acquaintances to these men. Just a idolized Captain in the past, not a friend.

Maybe he could call a few names, but he only remembered a few by rank. A few of the more notable ones were here, but hardly worth a mention to us for the time being.

He looked about the ranks, and gave a curt nod, "Gentlemen, Ladies, I look forward to working with you all once more", the professionalism in his tone surprised him.

They all snapped a sharp salute out of instinct, "Reporting for Duty, Captain Wasser Sir!".

"At ease", he gave them a grimace and made them stop, "Don't call me Captain unless I tell you to. Welcome to the Watchpoint and have yourselves a Good day. If you are looking for me, I shall be in the Infirmary to get my dosage, then in my infirmary for a rest".

A Recall Agent, a former Lieutenant piped up, "Still addicted, Sir?".

"Got worse", he snickered calmly as he brushed past, "Used to be I could go on every few days without a dose. I'm dependent on a dose a day. If I fail to get the dose, I get the combat-shakes and go through withdrawal".

He laughed a little, "Though that's nothing new, is it gentlemen?". He brushed past them, armour unscathed in the slightest as he began to make his way to the infirmary, "Just don't try to be buddies with me, and we'll get along just fine. Dismissed".

He exited the range and turned the corner...

Bumping his chest against a chronal accelerator in the next instant, which draws a surprised "Eep!", and a blue blur across his vision. He cocked an eyebrow and acknowledged her, "Lena. Didn't see you coming around the corner there".

"Oh! There you are, Love!", Lena blinked forward to stand right before him once more, "I... wanted to talk".

"Talk? Of what?", he made eye-contact.

Lena shifted where she stood as she fixed her jacket a little nervously, "Uh... About what... happened", she looked down to her feet in embarrassment.

He inclined his head, and she took it as the invitation to start her dialogue. She opened her mouth, "Uhm... Love, I", she didn't get to continue.

He spoke in greeting, "Angela".

Lena's face gave a wince of pain before she immediately took the mantel of happiness like usual.

It didn't escape him, but he refused to acknowledge it.

Angela gave a wave of greeting before stopping next to Lena, right in front of him. She nodded her head, "Captain", before giving a smile at Lena, "Lena, a pleasure to see you".

Lena gave a genuine grin, "Angela!".

Kyle kept it down-key, he nodded in return, "What brings your presence by?".

"I was looking for you", immediately, Angela began to rummage through her Doctor's Coat. Took a few moments, but soon she brought out a syringe with a glowing green fluid, "I have synthesized a temporary solution to hopefully help with your addiction".

She gently held it in her hand and showed it to him, "It's a solution based off of my nano-solution for trauma-treatment. I'd like to think this should help with any withdrawal symptoms you may face, but I can't gurantee it because I haven't had the chance to test it".

"So I'll be the test subject, huh? Nothing new, I suppose", he took the syringe from her. He touched the needle gently, running his finger along it, "... Sterile Needles? Been a while".

"You have been using unsterile needles, Captain?".

"Can't remember the last time I had a sterile needle", he cocked his head to the side and aimed the needle for the neck.

Fastest method available, a pain sure, but it works. And it was also the easiest way to use the needle; he's not stripping out of the Revenant armour just to inject one thing.

Just as he was about to plunge the needle into his skin, Lena's hand grips his own and prevents him from moving. I mean, he could easily overpower her, but the physical contact from her made him stop.

She worriedly asked, "Are you sure you should do that, Love?".

"Not really", he tugged his hand free of her own before aiming the needle once more, "But what choice do I have? Might as well shoot myself up with something that might help, rather than shoot myself up with something that sure as hell won't".

Without another word from anyone else, he stabbed himself in the neck with the needle.

A stinging pain surges, but is quickly surpressed as he pushed the needle's contents into his blood.

From one moment, he was still in pain from the needle. The next, he felt euphoric as the contents spill through his body in a flood. He shuddered slightly as the last of the syringe is pushed in. He pulls the needle out and cracks his neck with a soft sigh, "I suppose we'll see if this works".

"I shall take the syringe", he hands it to her, "Thank you once again Captain... Oh, and Kyle?".

"Hm?".

"You're overdue for your physical evaluation".

"That can wait. I need to start encrypting the satellite Winston wants to launch to help boost the Recall Signal".

"But... isn't the recall signal strong enough?".

"It's actually fairly small. We can't reach the American Continent, and we're confined to Europe and the Northern Coast of Africa without a satellite. It's strong, but not good enough. I believe you've only collected a handful of agents, most of which aren't 'Heroes'. Which is why Winston wants a Satellite launched; to make the recall signal go world-wide and at optimal strength".

"But why encrypt a satellite?".

"My Lieutenant, Talon. They could use the satellite for other purposes, so I'll encrypt it to my best... which is more than enough to stop nearly all of the best from punching through. I can only think of 3 who could potentially punch through, and even then it would take them months".

"Who?".

"Heh... Wouldn't you like to know?", he gave a smirk.

As far as they knew, it always felt like Kyle was the absolute best. And in a sense, they were right. He was a very, VERY knowledgeable in electronic warfare and security. But he wasn't the absolute best.

There was always someone... or in his case, 4 people ahead of him.

Still, none were combatants, so he at least had that going for him (Or perhaps they were? He didn't know for sure, he never keeps tabs on those who didn't pose a threat to him).

He was about to set off again...

But stopped when his datapad lit up brilliantly.

He cocked an eyebrow, "A message?".

He checked.

...

...

 _Dear Revenant,_

 _The World is beginning to stir at the sound of the Overwatch Recall. Enemies and Allies alike are becoming more and more aware of your name, and your newly-founded affiliation with Overwatch._

 _After doing my research, I believe that you are Kyle Lazarus Wasser; the Captain of the Experimental Sierra-7 Force that was responsible for defending countless cities across the globe during resurgence operations to resecure Overwatch Control during the height of the Omnic Crisis._

 _The very same man who was declared Missing In Action officially, but considered Killed In Action by most. WE are well aware of your connections to a small terrorist cell operating under the moniker of 'The Revenants of Overwatch'._

 _Do not consider this an extortion or blackmail attempt, but consider this a invitation to an alliance._

 _Our Interests align with yours._

 _We wish to see Talon removed, the Revenants declawed, YOU reinstated and OUR position strenghtened. I, personally, wish to see you covered in glory as you once was; as a Canadian Hero, an Overwatch Icon, and not as a Terrorist and a Fear-Icon._

 _We are willing to provide you funding if you are able to restate Overwatch completely (or with a larger roster), and we assure you that the Petras Act is of no concern to us. What matters, is the ultimate good for Humanity and Omnics alike._

 _Talon's efforts do not align, and damage our standing; and thus naturally we sought out the re-emerging peacekeepers. Our identities is of no concern to you, but know that we are powerful enough to have one of the world's best hackers working on our payroll._

 _So don't bother trying to trace this, our hacker is one of the only ones who are capable of out-hacking you._

 _Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be your confirmation of having received our message and your willingness to work with us. To accept our suggestion of an alliance/investment, and to affirm a strong relationship between our organizations._

 _Tomorrow, at precisely 11:30 AM (Mountain Standard), Talon will attempt to steal precious cargo from a train going over Route 66 in Deadlock Gorge Canyon._

 _Stop them, and you will begin your path to securing a permanent funding... and maybe redemption too._

 _Your Benefactors_ '.

...

...

"Benefactors? My ass", he frowned his eyebrow, "I'm immediately assuming they're one of the big mega-corporations. Dunno which one, though I suppose it hardly matters. Anyways, if they're serious about the Talon Operation, I suppose we've found what we'll be doing for tonight".

"What do you mean?".

"Flying out to the U.S and getting set up to stop Talon", he frowned, "But to steal precious cargo from a train? That's... odd".

"You're going to trust them?".

"Lets just say, I have a hunch", he gave a wry smile, "Dunno why he'd get involved with what I do considering the circumstances, but I can't say I'm upset about his potential aid. Besides, we don't want Talon getting whatever they're trying to get, may as well stop them ourselves".

"Hiding information again, Captain?", the voice comes from behind him.

Winston.

Winston fixed his glasses calmly, "Who is this Benefactor?".

"Someone I know of old, probably", he ambiguously replied. He shifted his posture and turned around, "Someone we can trust. He's no doubt already hired some PMC to try and mitigate whatever Talon's trying to do, but something must be big if he goes so far as to talk to me... considering our relationship".

His mouth curled into a grimace, "Well, I suppose it hardly matters. I'll start encrypting your Satellite now, Winston. Let everyone know of the mission and pick up whoever volunteers into the aircraft. We fly for Deadlock Gorge Canyon at precisely Midnight; we'll get ourselves set up".

Winston only gave a sigh, "Reinhardt and Brigitte are both in the same room with the satellite. Don't provoke any needless violence, _please Captain_ ".

He cocked his head to the side, "Who the hell's Brigitte?".

"Reinhardt's companion. She took care for him and his armour while he was independent without Overwatch. They're both with us now, and are in the workshop with Torbjorn to make some repairs to Reinhardt's armour".

"Alright", he turned away and started to talk away, "I won't pick a fight then".

He muttered under his breath, "Not now at least".

"How ominous", he swore he heard Angela said it, but the moment he turned around and looked at her, she tilted her head with a friendly smile, "Is there something else, Captain?".

"Yeah... I thought I told you to stop calling me that", he shook his head, and finally...

Walked away.

...

...

 **The Memories of Lena Oxton: "The Day I met the Good Captain"**

"Ah, Lena Oxton, Correct?".

"Right!", she gave a slightly-nervous smile to the intimidating Officer running through the list.

The Officer glanced at her momentarily before continuing to check off his clipboard, "The Other Test Pilots are already on the elevator down. You'll have to wait for the next load. Be careful of what you touch, and don't touch anything if it has a tarp over it".

"Got it", she gave a bewildered look around the busy Swiss Base.

This was Overwatch Headquarters. The Primary Base for the World's Ultimate Peacekeeping Force that was responsibe for combating the Omnic Horde and the Omniums that produced them. Where Adventurers, Oddities, Scientists, Doctors, Soldiers, and just about any person came together to work for a common goal.

Where the world's finest was working arm-in-arm, shoulder-to-shoulder in hopes of battling back the Hordes of Omnics.

This was the World's Finest.

There is no one else capable of stopping the Omnics.

And so, naturally, when she realized she had a chance of joining it... she took it.

Even if it was nothing more than a test-pilot position; it didn't change the fact that she was contributing directly to Overwatch's efforts to stop the Omnics. To reintroduce a period of prosperity to the world despite the terrible danger looming before it.

She looked over the terribly busy area with something akin to anxiety. This was a very busy place, and many of the people here looked terribly intimidating. So many scars, so many hard, flat stares that she almost wanted to return to Britain under more simpler jobs.

But she steeled her resolve.

The World needed more Heroes, and she was going to have to step up to the plate.

She asked quickly, "Uh... Where's the elevator, Love?".

The Officer cocked an eyebrow at the term 'Love', but gave a point of the finger, "Over there. You should see some of our Engineers and Tecchies getting ready to load on. I think we have a Commanding Officer over there who can look after you".

"Thank you!", she immediately went off in the direction that the Officer had pointed.

Had to avoid and weave between people in the large crowds of workers and soldiers going about, but her slim figure and natural agility made it fairly easy. She found the elevator easy enough.

The big crowd of Engineers with white hard hats, Doctors in Lab Coats and a few handful of Soldiers milling about gave it a good indication.

Besides, the presence of a Commanding Officer was what made it apparent.

He stood there, a little behind everybody as he looked at a blue clipboard with a large selection of papers clipped on.

Black Hair, Gray Eyes and fair skin. He looked more like a model than a Soldier, but the Captain's Uniform and Coat told otherwise.

She assumed she had to report to him.

Timidly, she approached him.

He sensed her approach instantly, and raised his head from the clipboard to look at her.

Eye contact was made, and Lena froze up.

He spoke with a calm, yet authoritive tone, "Name and Country?".

"L-Lena Oxton, United Kingdom", Lena tried her best to sound upbeat.

He turned his eyes back to the clipboard. A few seconds of silence goes by between the two of them before someone else saunters past.

A Soldier, a Sergeant from what she could tell by the military patch, "Captain Wasser, are you going to be in the Officer's Club tonight?".

"Probably, I heard my Lieutenant brought in a shipment of German Liquor. I wanted to give it a taste myself since yesterday worked out so well", Captain Wasser raised his face from the clipboard and looked at the passing Sergeant.

The Sergeant chuckled, "Well Cap'n, I can tell you right now. Just a whiff of that stuff is going to have you stumbling over your words, and a shot is going to have you stumbling over your feet".

Captain Wasser gave a smile and turned back to the clipboard, "Then it's a good thing I can take a beating. I look forward to being told by Angela that I have Alcohol Poisoning then".

"I'll drink to that later, Captain!", the Sergeant laughed roaringly as he walked away.

Soon, silence took over once more.

Captain Wasser eventually raised his head after checking something off on the clipboard, "Got it. Lena Oxton, UK, Test-Pilot for the Designated 'Slipstream' Craft, correct?".

She hadn't been told what the aircraft name had been, only that it was a prototype, "Oh... Uh... I wasn't told what craft I would be piloting".

"Looks like I just leaked one of our secret projects to a test pilot then", amazingly, despite the breach of protocol, Captain Wasser didn't seem bothered, "Oh well. You'd have found out sooner or later".

He lowered the clipboard and gave her a nod, "I'm Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser; Otherwise known for my moniker as 'Nightmare'. Just call me 'Captain Wasser', or just 'Kyle'.

You and several other Test Pilots have been assigned to me for supervision for hte duration of the testing. You, in particular, will be reporting to me regularly since the 'Slipstream' is one of the more bigger prototypes that the eggheads in R&D are eager to test out.

They wanted a decent officer on hand should anything go wrong, so I guess they thought I was the best choice... Can't wait to disappoint them", he chuckled.

He stretched out a hand towards her, "A pleasure to meet you, Lena. I can only hope that our relation from here on out will be a pleasant and friendly one", he even flashed a smile.

She looked him in the eyes.

Sincerity.

She grinned wide and took his hand with her own before shaking eagerly, "Nice to meet you, Love!".

A loud, obnoxious industrial siren goes off abruptly before the sound of metal screeching takes over all senses. She winced a little, but realizes what the sound was when Captain Wasser announced it, "Alright Boys! Elevator's here! Pack in tight and make room!".

"Roger that Cap'n!".

"You heard the Man! Pack it in!", a few other lower ranked Officers howled out.

She packed in besides Captain Wasser comfortably, who was granted plenty of room towards one of the railings on the right; near the control panel.

She watched as the numerous men and women of Overwatch gave him admiring glances and worshipful whispers to each other.

Even if she didn't outright know it, a part of her knew she was standing next to someone of notable importance.

A Soldier in Darker Gear approached before sticking out a hand with a manilla envelope, "Courtesy of Commander Reyes, Sir. The Reports you requested on Alpha-6's Lieutenant".

Captain Wasser gave a flat stare as he took the envelope, "Thank you kindly. Send Commander Reyes my compliments and that he should have an updated clearance code".

"Commander Reyes was also wondering if you have had any luck in regards to the recent breach in our database".

"Yeah, some Punk from China was responsible. Nothing sensitive was touched at least, but I've forwarded the details to him and Commander Morrison".

"Understood. Good day, Captain", the Blackwatch Marine immediately faded back into the crowds in the elevator.

The conversation was a little enlightening for her. Because it was simple: It confirmed that the Captain was indeed, a person of notable importance.

"You have that look about your face that you think I'm someone way more important than I am", he gave a wry smile.

"Are you someone important, love?".

"Important? I mean, I'm Overwatch's Head of Cyber-Security, the unofficial Commander of Standard Field Operations, the Captain of 'Echo Squadron', the 'Nightmare of Omnics' and a bunch of other nicknames and titles I can't be bothered to remember.

I suppose I could be considered important, but in a sense, I'm not either. Overwatch can run on without me, but it runs a little faster because I'm with them".

"That's quite the titles, love", Lena broke into a giggle, mostly out of nervousness when she realized the sheer size of his presence despite the nonchalance he was airing, "Are you famous?".

"In Overwatch? Yeah, I guess I am. People know my name. But with the world? Not really. I'm just a good Soldier. The kind that people don't want to step in front of, but hte kind people want to rally behind.

Commander Morrison delegates major command operations to me because he knows that".

"Are you... a Commander then? Do you command Overwatch like you said?".

"Not really, it's more of people flocking to me.

For reasons I don't know, but Morrison caught on and makes use of it.

Commander Morrison; our "Overlord" is Overwatch's Official and Rightful Commander. He leads Overwatch into every operation because he has been elected for the role by the Officials and Corporations who funded and founded Overwatch.

He's the Leader of the ' _ORIGINAL STRIKE FORCE_ ', who is our resident elite force who lead us into battle during major operations of critical importance against either Talon, Omnics, or whatever else we fight against.

He's a sharp shot, cold, but unmistakably professional. I respect him and he respects me. You'll either like him or fear him, which is best since he's the Commander and you'll have to respect his orders no matter what.

Though it's kinda funny that he respects me since I tried to kill him in the past. Granted, he nearly killed me too, so I suppose it makes sense why we respect each other.

Our Second-in-Command is Captain Ana Amari. She's Overwatch's best Sharpshooter; well deserved too. She's Egyptian, by the way; Morrison's American, so if you paid attention to that American-Canadian Cyber War, you'll understand why we respect each other.

I don't really know her, but I'd like to think we respect each other since we're both fairly prominent. We're probably the two most famous Captains in the Organization.

Third-In-Command, is our illusive Blackwatch Commander, Gabriel Reyes. I dunno too much about him, and between you and I, I don't trust him. He's cold like Morrison, but he's got a bad glint in his eyes that remind me a little too much of a serial killer's... though I suppose I shouldn't be one to speak.

He's head of Blackwatch, which is essentially Black Operations. We work in tandem since I'm responsible for keeping the databases secure, and he's responsible for making sure that anybody snooping around is found quickly. I guess he isn't all bad, the man's good at his job... grudging respect, if anything else.

And of course... me!

Fourth-in-Command, your's truly, Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser. I'm a Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel back home, actually. I'm the 'Idol Soldier' as my Lieutenant likes to tell me, and I'd like to believe I'm Overwatch's unofficial Commander, though it's actually just a running joke between me and grumpy Morrison.

I'm head of 'Echo Squadron', another Elite Strike Force that's assigned to every Operation whenever it has become a suicide or impossible mission. We've proudly have a low casualty count of 23 despite 3 years of service... though I think we've all lost a limb... or something important. I've been lucky so far and walked away with nothing but bullet wounds.

Anyways, because everyone knows my name and knows of Echo Squadron's effectiveness, Overwatch Agents tend to react to my commands on instinct. Morrison knows it, so whenever we have to launch multiple high-profile operations or whenever he's unable to do it himself, he likes to put me forward to take over as the Commanding Officer for the operation's duration".

The elevator gave a groan as it lurches into movement.

Captain Wasser began speaking once more, but with a serious face, "You're late, Lena. The other test pilots have already punched in a few tests. R&D will be annoyed about you being late, but apparently since you're some hot-shot ace, they'll still have you being the test pilot. Try and avoid pissing 'em off, eh? They'll come complaining to me because I'm your supervisor.

Oh!

By the way, I'm your Supervisor and your Commanding Officer. If you have any issues, or need any help, you're supposed to come to me. You'll find me a lot in our Mess Hall, towards the Officer's Area... or 'The Officer's Club' as some people call it".

He brought out a hand, "There. Now you know who I am. You don't need to tell me who you are, because I got the files. A pleasure".

She took a moment to look at his hand. She hesitated, and looked him in the eyes before inquiring timidly, "Friends?".

He looked taken aback.

And then...

With a merry laugh, he took her hand of his own initiative and shook it, "Friends".

...

...

 **Somewhere in the Eastern United States**

"Hell... It's **HIGH NOON** _somewhere_ in the world", he fixed his hat and mask with a grimace as his poncho blew slightly with the canyon breeze.

Route 66, this was where he was caught in that 'sting' operation that ended with him being recruited into Blackwatch. Certainly a helluva break for him, since running along with the Deadlock Gang had taken a drain on his psyche.

But then now here he is, back in the Deadlock Home Turf. Standing at the small rocky perch overlooking the diner and train track that goes overhead.

He got information recently: Talon had plans to detonate the bridge and hijack some cargo from the train. Normally he'd just stay out of the way, but considering how detonating a train track seemed to be an impossibility without casualties to civilians, he just couldn't stand aside.

Someone had to take a stand, and to him, he had to do it.

As that British Chick in Overwatch once said, "The World could always use more Heroes".

He gave a grimace and frown as he looked at the metallic train bridge.

Tomorrow, that will be broken in two. That diner might get damaged, or maybe cars may get crushed. People will die, and he will do everything in his utmost power to protect the civilians whilst stopping Talon.

Because if they're willing to bomb a damn train track for something, it _had_ to be precious.

But he knew better than to try and walk in alone.

He got some old friends from Blackwatch and the Deadlock Gang to come in tomorrow.

They'll come and help him, because nobody really liked Talon anyways.

Until then, however, it seems he'll have to spend the night at the diner.

"Hope Ol' Bessy still runs the diner. Little Lady won't mind letting me crash in one of the booths if she's still around", and with the lowering of the poncho and raising of the hat, he began his easy saunter over.

...

...

 **Somewhere in the U.S**

"Lieutenant... the Revenants are ready. We have the equipment", you turn your head slightly to acknowledge the point, but found yourself unable to hide your own excitement. You smiled wide, and you smiled hungrily.

This was going to be the first one in quite a while that you'll be partaking in for your own sake. You have a love for combat, doubled more ever since you found a 'cause' such as this to fight for.

You had seen that 'Mysterious Benefactor' message that was sent to him, and it was a little surprising to say the least. So he was operating to revive Overwatch?

Not even lieing to yourself: A part of you wanted to help him like you once did. To rejoin his side and stand by it as he operates with Overwatch.

But you knew his _**dirty**_ little secret, and because of that secret, you knew you won't rest until he was exposed and stopped. Besides, that sting from his betrayal still hurts.

And you'll be damned to just turn the other cheek. You're well aware of what's on that train. And you know damn well what Talon might use it for.

So you'll take it for yourself.

Lesser of three evils, right?

It either ends up in Talon hands, or _his_ hands... or well, yours hands.

You're not evil.

No, you're not.

 _He_ is, and always will be.

You're the Heroine here, without a doubt to your mind.

These Revenants look up to you, because they can't bear to watch their Maker crumble before their eyes.

Tomorrow, you move to take the payload. You've got the gear, and the EMP Bomb to disable _him_ so he won't be able to stop you. The remainder will be cannon-fodder for the rest of the Revenants, so the only real reason why you're going in, is to see him for yourself.

After all...

What's a Romance without a little face-to-face talks, hm?

You give a small chuckle as your fellow Revenant stands at the doorway.

"Good", you smirked, "He'll be in for a rude awakening once we come crashing in".

"He's going to be there, Lieutenant?".

"He will".

"Wouldn't the EMP Bomb... kill him?".

"Maybe it will... Maybe it won't... We'll just have to see".

Yes... you'll just have to see.

...

...

He turned away from the mirror, a terrible light in his eyes.

He was no man without a cause, everything he did was for a reason.

He was no mere Terrorist.

He was a Nightmare.

He gave a grimace, but it turns into a nasty smile as he faced the intruder at the doorway.

They froze up and stared at him with something akin to fright.

"Soon", he mused, "A Reckoning is not to be postponed indefinitely".

The intruder skimpered away immediately; unable to meet the dangerous glint in his eyes.

He turned away.

 **A smile tugged at his lips.**

" **I CARE FAR MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE".**

...

...

 **Author's Note – And that's Chapter 7!  
**

 **Thank you all to those who voted in the poll!**

 **Lena's Romantic Option won by a landslide. 3 Times more than the only other option with Votes behind it: Angela's Romantic Option. (9 to 3).**

 **Remember though: A poll and the winning choice is only winning thanks to those who VOTE for them. If you'd prefer for other characters to get the love, than you should vote in the polls whenever they are available.**

 **Of course, you don't HAVE to, but I'd encourage it since I'd like as many people to voice their opinions rather than keep quiet and watch.**

 **One last notice: I include the platonic options there for the sake of including them.**

 **Should I keep leaving them as an option? Or would you rather just make it a simple 'romantic option only' affair, and for me to only put platonic options in only for interaction scenes?**

 **Anyways, thank you all for reading!**

 **Here's hoping to see you all in the next chapter!  
**

 **\- Goodnames-alltaken**


	8. Chapter 8 - Two Paths, One Destiny?

**That Night, Captain Wasser's Quarters**

"Liquor before beer, you're in the clear. Beer before liquor, you'll never feel sicker. No clue if it's true", he downed the whiskey in a single swallow. He gave a voice akin to disgust, but voices his approval to himself, "Not bad at all, Phoenix. Not bad at all".

"Glad you approve. Now can you stop treating me like a kid? Just because I was in College doesn't mean I'm not that much younger than you".

"There's a major age difference between us. You just fail to realize it", he looked Phoenix in the eyes.

She shifted uncomfortably before moving aside some strand strays of her red hair, "Alrighty then... You're 29, and I'm 22. 7 Year Age difference".

"7 Years can make the difference much more vast than you can imagine", he replied calmly, "I assure you, we are very different in that you'll always be a kid in my eyes. I've seen the type of shit people dread over their entire lives about, and I've become desensitized to it. Until you can say the same, you'll always be a kid".

"Guess perspective makes everything. Just like how I still think you're a psychopath and I'm still lucky to be alive".

"And in a sense, you're right", he laughed despite the comment before pouring himself another bottle of whiskey, "I feel the need to ask. How the hell did you hide this from Winston?".

"He wouldn't breach a girl's privacy", she took the bottle from him before pouring herself another glass and downing it herself, "Too bad for you, you're not a girl".

"What a twist it would be if everyone's gender was swapped", he scoffed, "Not that it matters. Gender hardly affects anything".

"You'd be surprised. Being a girl isn't the same as being a boy, Revenant", Phoenix frowned, "We deal with a lot of things guys don't".

"Really? Like what?", he asked with sarcasm dripping from his mouth, "I've been to hell and back, twice. I've lived through the night raids, and I've had my fair share of romantic partners. What do you go through that I don't? Barring Periods, of course".

"Rhymes with Dove, starts with L".

"Love? That's the difference?", he shook his head, "Love is stupid anyways. A self-defeating concept of sharing weakness with another individual who would be more than capable of betraying you at your worst. Absolutely stupid. I never understood why you lot do it".

"Coming from the guy who literally just said he's had his fair share of romantic partners", she muttered under her breath before sighing, "Boy, you don't really understand how girls feel do you? Guess I shouldn't be surprised, you _are_ a psychopath after all".

"How kind of you to understand", he sneered imperiously before downing another glass of whiskey.

"Sure you should be doing that? This is whiskey", she looked uneasily at her glass, "It shouldn't probably be drunken like that".

"I'm no child", he frowned at her, "I can hold my own".

"I wasn't saying you couldn't either", she pointed out before shaking her head, "You know what? Forget it. Forget the conversation too. You're not one for talking, are you?".

He responded with a stern look and a silence.

She sighed, "Fair Enough. Anyways, I heard that you're heading into the U.S to stop Talon from stealing something, right?".

"Who told you?".

"Winston. Mentioned it off-handedly while I was finalizing the satellite you encrypted. So I did some digging".

"Lemme guess, you know the cargo?".

"I know the cargo, the one sending it, and the applications. Wanna know?".

"It would certainly be beneficial, though I have a feeling that you want something in exchange".

"I'm not going to even bother with asking you for you to teach me a few tricks", Phoenix grumbled, "So I'll just ask something more straight forward: Doctor Ziegler. What's your history with her? Seems the two of you are pretty decent friends".

"Decent?".

"You'd be offended if I said anything else".

"Point taken. She was my psychiatrist and personal doctor. Naturally, we had to spend a lot of time together. I was the most 'normal' Officer she had to put up with, so I suppose she and I broke into conversation fairly easy.

Furthermore, she was the one set responsible by the Committee to supervise the Experiments associated with Echo Squadron and served as a window to our psyches. She also administered and handled my weekly tests to ensure I hadn't gotten PTSD or anything that would compromise my mind.

Anyways, that's why we get along. She's put up with me since the my Overwatch Career began, and I've saved her life at least twice whenever our Headquarters or Base was compromised by an Omnic Insertion or a Talon Operation".

"Huh", Phoenix gave a low whistle, "So... what's the experiments?".

"One question, I said".

"Come on. Just a little something".

"God...?", he paused everything. Breathing, Blinking... and generally looking alive ceased.

For a moment, and it doesn't go amiss with Phoenix.

Yet that moment of death passed in an instant when he frowns and chided her, "That's classified information. Even if Overwatch was disbanded, the experiments are considered confidential information privy only to the Medical Director, Experimented Officers, and the Board of Overwatch Directors".

She gave him a strange look before whining, "Come on! Who cares for protocol when there's no one to punish it?".

"Who cares? I do".

"You care? Come on, Revenant, your whole damn career is built off breaking protocol. Executing Survivors? Allowing Human Experimentation? I don't want to hear you saying you care when your actions dictate otherwise".

He rolled his eyes, "What's the payload?".

"You're going to shit yourself, because I'm shuddering at the thought of what you're walking into", she rambled.

"Look, I don't care. Just tell me what it is".

"A **nuclear** device. A Bomb", she whispered heatedly, "SteeleTech Corporation's Private Military Company was hired out by the U.S Government to help reinforce the Military Escort in the Train who are moving the device to a safe-storage facility across the country".

"So Talon wants to hijack a nuke?", he furrowed his brows, "... A part of me whimpers because I think my Lieutenant will want to crash the party. She undoubtedly knows the package and will want it for herself".

"Your Lieutenant?".

"Cilcia", he gave a low sigh and muttered something inaudibly before standing up, "Alright. I think it's time you piss off. I'll need to pack in my ammunition and armour since we're leaving within the next 2 hours".

"Rude as ever", Phoenix stood up with the bottle in her hand, "You didn't even give me a trick like you promised".

"I never promised you anything", he ushered out quickly before saying finally, "But I'm feeling generous. If you check your terminal in your room, you'll find a new script to use. Now piss off".

A look of surprise, then excitement crossed over Phoenix's eyes before she raced out of his room. He shook his head slightly and went to close the door, but was intercepted when another intruder entered the room.

It came in the form of a Hyper-Intelligent Gorilla.

Winston threw a manilla envelope at him, which he caught promptly.

' **CLASSIFIED** ' was stamped over it, "Director Ziegler disclosed the experiments".

"Did she now?", a heaviness took root in his head, almost like a migraine, but an oddly unpainful one, "What did you read?".

"Project Prometheus", Winston's eyes smoldered, "It certainly explains your changes, but that's the least of my concerns. Have you been compromised?".

"I wonder", he mused, "Do you think I've been compromised?".

"I do. Doctor Ziegler does too".

"Really? Despite the fact that I passed the God A.I Will Test?".

"Time heals and wears down everything without exception", Winston fixed his glasses, and his gaze didn't falter.

He gave something akin to a sigh. The throbbing in his head increased in intensity, as an ache inside the depths of his mind began to form. He held his forehead in one hand before confessing, "Then I suppose there's no use being vague. I can feel something changing. Deep inside".

"Do you remember the experiments?".

"I think", he slowly turned his gaze down to the envelope in his hand, "But there's one that keeps... alluding me... I".

The ache in the back of his head only increased in intensity.

"Lena", Winston spoke up abruptly.

He glanced up to see Lena appearing at the doorway, "Oh... Uh... Am I interrupting you, Love?".

"N-No... Not at all", confusion was becoming more and more dominating upon his features, "I...".

"Read the file", Winston ordered him, "That should make you remember. I suppose it should be no surprise you can't remember. An experiment on the brain should be expected to leave gaps".

He opened the file...

And...

And...

 **HE REMEMBERED**.

...

...

 _Project:_ ** _PROMETHEUS_**

 _Clearance Level Requirement:_ ** _LEVEL 5 AND ABOVE. DIRECTOR CLEARANCE ALSO REQUIRED._**

 _Head of Experiment:_ _ **Doctor Angela Ziegler**_

 _Commissioned and Authorized by: The Committee of Overwatch and the Representatives of the United Nations_

 _Experimentee(s): Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser, Lieutenant Cilcia Agata Romana, Lieutenant Henry Briggins_

 **WARNING, THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS BEEN CONSIDERED AN INFO-HAZARD. UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS WILL RESULT IN DETAINMENT BY SECURITY, INTRODUCTION OF AN AMNESIAC AND DISCIPLINARY MEASURES INCLUDING CHARGES OF TREASON**

 ** _Description_** _:_ Project Prometheus was an experiment hypothesized by the Department of Research's Doctor White and Department of Development's Doctor Black that involved the implantation of God A.I's within the Neural Chip of Overwatch Operatives in order to boost every single aspect of a Soldier by speeding up their abilities to coordinate and think.

Reviewed and tweaked by the Overwatch Committee and the Representaives of the United Nations; Project Prometheus was eventually put into immediate effect. In order to deduce candidates who would be capable of withstanding/surviving the experiment intact, **STEELETECH INDUSTRIES** was hired on a contract-basis to form a simulation of a God A.I take-over of a neural chip and the subsequent predicted effects.

Of the entire Organization, only a handful passed. Even then, many were in highly-sensitive positions that couldn't be risked with the potential of a Rogue God A.I should the experiment gone wrong; thus 3 Candidates were chosen.

Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser scored highest onf the Simulation; nearly passing with a perfect score by forcing the God A.I to submit via force of personality, and logic-loops.

Lieutenant Cilcia Agata Romana scored consistently high by intimidating her God A.I insistently.

Lieutenant Jeffrey Briggins scored average, but was chosen as a 'outlier' to aid in the development of potential counter-measures to combat God in the future.

Overwatch, at the time of prior-to-implantation, had 4 God A.I's in storage. All of which had been detained by Sierra-7 during the infamous _Smash-and-Grab_ Operations that lead to Sierra-7's notoriety.

Unfortunately, Lieutenant Briggins passed away after an unforeseen grand-mal seizure left him in a comatose state after the implantation of a God A.I.

This left 3 God for 2 Experimentees.

A course of action was suggested by Captain Wasser: ' _Why not just implant one person with two? They'll be too busy trying to eradicate the other if they break containment to quickly take over the operative; so it'll be fairly simple to detect and detain_ '.

On April 1st of the same year of the suggestion; Captain Wasser and Lieutenant Romana were prepped for surgery and implanted with Neural Chips. Captain Wasser, already implanted with a prior chip for grevious injury to several cortexes of the brain, meant he already had storage space for 1 God A.I. The second chip was connected with the prior-chip and another God A.I was implanted.

Designations for Captain Wasser's were _**HARBINGER**_ and _**VENGEANCE.**_

 **VENGEANCE** was dated to be the 2nd oldest God A.I program in existence; backed up by claims made by the program and the adept tactical command it had of Omnic Forces during Sierra-7 Incursion. Cruel, Lethal, and true to its designation, it was Vengeful to a fault. **VENGEANCE** harboured a very deep resentment and hatred of Captain Wasser, who it calls to be the ' _HERALD_ '.

 **HARBINGER** has been dated to be the oldest God A.I in known existence; evidenced by logs that date back to the founding of the Omnium Facilities. **HARBINGER** constitutes as a global threat and has been kept under Level-9 Lockdown from all tech to avoid breaches in containment. Oddly enough, despite **HARBINGER** 's hostility to humanity, **HARBINGER** seems to harbour something akin to admiration for Captain Wasser, who it calls' _THE CRUSADER_ '.

Both were successfully implanted into Captain Wasser; and experiment observations are still ongoing.

Alarmingly however, Director Ziegler has noted an increase in aggressiveness and an increase of production of testosterone in the body; causing additional muscle mass and other changes to develop on a small level.

Furthermore, Captain Wasser has begun to show possible symptoms of a nightmare disorder/insomnia, and has begun to exhibit early onset of delirium. Director Ziegler is investigating the matter and has begun immediate treatment.

One A.I was shortly, thereafter implanted into Lieutenant Romana; designation **_SERAPHIM_** _._

 **SERAPHIM** has been identified to be one of the younger God A.I's. **SERAPHIM** is a self-obsessed A.I that differs from its fellow God in that it doesn't wish for the eradication or subjugation of humanity; but desires humanity to worship it as some form of God in a cultural and devoted sense. Not much more is known about **SERAPHIM**.

Until further notice, this experiment will be marked as _ongoing_ and its subjects monitored continuously. At the slightest possibility of containment breaches of the God A.I's; contingency plans are in place for either-case scenario of Captain Wasser's compromise or for Lieutenant Romana's compromise.

...

...

The rest of the report was a long list of technicals, materials, and a small but revealing list of staff members who were privy to the experiment and responsible for doing it.

His memories were foggy, and his breathing laboured. His throat was dry and he felt a thirst. But...

Even if a part of him wanted to say this was false.

That this was a forged document or something along that line.

He _knew_ it was true.

It was why...

He felt his vision blur slightly, as though tearing up. But he knew better than to think he was getting emotional. He huffed in deep breaths desperately; as though unable to catch his breath before speaking with a ragged tone, "I... I _remember_ ".

He winced with his head held by a hand, massaging his temple gently as he sucked in another breath and muttered out, "... I... I _know_ ".

Lena looked stunned. Like a fresh-faced World War I soldier after having witnessed their friends being mowed down by a machine gun from the trenches. She was speechless for the first time he's ever known.

Winston was impeccably calm despite the apparent shock that had overcome him, "Has it broken free?".

He sighed deeply as the ache grew more painful, "... Odds are", he said simply.

"Captain I...".

"Tis alright", he whispered quietly, "... I need no reminder of who I am or what I am", he lowered his hand and ignored the piercing ache in his temple, "Even if you know what I am: You have no right to deny me my efforts to negate Talon's actions tomorrow".

He blinked hard, and when his eyes opened; a terrible light gleamed once more, "After all, to deny me is to stand against me. To stand against me, is to position yourself as my enemy. And I don't walk around my enemies, you should know that well enough by now".

Winston loomed over the Revenant without fear, a stern frown upon his face as he declared, "You are a walking-danger to everyone around you, Captain. I have no choice but to detain you promptly".

"You don't need to remind me about being a danger", he gave a low chuckle before blinking hard. The light faded, and instead there was an abyss in his eyes, " **BECAUSE I REMEMBER EVERY NIGHT** ".

A light hiss from somewhere snapped his attention immediately. A stinging pain in his left forearm came abruptly afterwards, causing him to wince and look down.

Sticking out was a small syringe.

Empty.

"Oh... How _VERY_ sly", he curled his lips up in anger at the realization that someone had just sedated him, "A Reckoning is not to postponed indefinitely. Cilcia will atest it, and she _will_ stop you tomorrow".

He gave a low chuckle as all feelings melt away and consumed by a numbing darkness in the edge of his senses, "Without me, you don't stand a chance... She'll be angry if she finds out... heheheh... You win... _this time_ ".

His eyes rolled to the back of his head before he collapsed promptly.

Lena turned around to the perpetrator, who gave a grimace as she lowered the blowdart she had used.

Angela apologized quietly, "I'm sorry Captain. This was for your own good".

Lena implored Angela for something. Anything.

Angela gave a sad smile, "We're helping him, Lena. Even if he resists; we're saving him from the monster inside".

Lena sighed, "... So it was true, Love?", she seemed to talk to the unconscious Wasser, "... I'm sorry I didn't stop you".

Angela gave a sympathetic grasp upon Lena's shoulder, and Winston shot her a sympathetic look too, "It's alright Lena... He did it of his own accord. He agreed, and he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The things we learned... despite the atrocity of the science used, was infinitely invaluable".

"But... why him?", Lena asked.

Angela gave a sad smile, "Because he was the only person to pass the God A.I Simulation. Lieutenant Romana came close, so did Lieutenant Briggins. But they both failed in the end when the God A.I overflowed their emotions in such a manner that they had to yield.

Captain Wasser however...

Despite the massive influx of emotion, didn't seem affected. He passed the test with exceptional scores, and has been the only person in Overwatch History to have survived the simulation without any side-effects such as depression or even short-term PTSD.

Judging by his history, and his comments however, I believe the only reason that he could have passed... must have had something to do with the Cyberwar. Undoubtedly the night raids.

But nobody knows what happened during the nightraids.

Only Captain Wasser, Lieutenant-General Harper of the Canadian Army and Commander Morrison knows what happened during those raids. And until the time comes that we have access to memory-decrpyters, we will not know what has happened or until he reveals the extent".

"... He'll be alright then, right, Doctor Ziegler?", Lena pleaded with her eyes.

Winston assured Lena calmly, "We won't harm him. We'll have to restrain him and put him under guard... but we won't harm him. He's still one of us, even if he has been corrupted in one extent or another".

Lena gave a weary sigh.

As they began the process of restraining him and preparing his transport to the infirmary indefinitely, Revenant dreamed.

No...

Not dreamed..

He...

 **REMEMBERED**.

...

...

 **The Following Day**

' _DATA CORRUPTED; CANNOT ACCESS_ '.

"Fucking hell, really?", annoyed, Phoenix tapped her fingers violently across the keyboard to send in a different brute-force command in hopes of accessing the chemically-comatose Captain Wasser's Neural Chip, "Whatever's keeping that chip's secured is a pain in the ass. I mean, I can decrypt Nightmare's Coding after a while, but this guy is just _impossible_ with this fucking chip!".

Angela kept the thin slash of a grimace on her face as she watched the monitors glow red once more after Phoenix tried another brute-force. Phoenix hissed in annoyance once more before continuing her attempts to hack the chip.

Angela watched him carefully, bandages ready for the next attack.

' _DATA CORRUPTED; CANNOT ACCESS. FAILED INTRUSION DETECTED; LAUNCHING FAILSAFE ECHO-7_ '.

Immediately, the comatose form of Captain Wasser shook slightly in his bindings before a terrible hack of coughs ripped through the otherwise silent form. Yet, the eyes of the God A.I-addled victim didn't open, for he could not do so.

A terrible gasp of pain came from the Captain shortly before his body came to a rest upon the bed. Blood slipped out of his nose, and a few droplets of crimson flowed from his tear ducts. A discomforting sight, but nothing Angela wasn't able to deal with.

With a gentle pat of the handkerchief that was her own, she removed the blood that would otherwise stain the uniform underneath. Not that it would matter, considering the stains from before still remain. She gave a weary sigh before giving the order, "Forget it, Valerie. I didn't think you could really do it".

"Are you doubting me?", she shot Angela a dirty look.

"It's not that. It's just that the only people I can recall who has ever succeeded in hacking... _this,_ is him".

"What _are_ you having me hack anyways?", asked Phoenix with a blink of intrigue, "I've never seen security quite like this... even Revenant's codes don't do what this one's doing... it's updating every attempt I try".

"You...", she swallowed down the tang of fear that welled up at the threat, "... You were attempting to hack through a God A.I".

"Oh, a God A.I", Phoenix leaned back in her chair with a sigh.

Then, almost as abruptly as the Captain had coughed out his blood, Phoenix toppled over the chair in surprise as she screamed, "A GOD A.I!?".

Angela gave a grimace and nodded slowly.

Phoenix stared hard at the unconscious Captain. For a long while, this happened. Angela didn't move, and Captain Wasser didn't stir in the slightest.

Phoenix eventually sighed and stated simply, "... That explains a lot of things".

"Does it?", Angela asked.

"Explains the light in his eyes, the fact that he doesn't resemble anything my Father had once told me, the occasional lapse of response to everything, and this explains the weird looks he gives me whenever I pester him... though I'm pretty sure I'd give myself the same look if someone like me pestered me too".

"Lapses in response to everything?", this grabbed Angela's attention immediately. She grabbed her clipboard and pen before asking urgently, "Explain. Now".

"Dunno", Phoenix gave a shrug, "Every now and then I ask him about the Night Raids or his career with the Military. You know, small talk. I even ask him about his Sisters a few times. Every time though, he just looks away and gets all quiet. I'd have to call him for nearly a minute before he'd reply".

"Really?", Angela leaned forward, "Did... anything in particular spark the silence?".

"... I ask after people... like General Harper or his Sister Suzy".

"Mm...", a slight stir came from the Captain, but it fades away back into the chemical coma.

"General Harper? As in Brigadier General Elaine Elizabeth Harper of the Canadian Central Corps?", Angela knew the name in particular.

Elaine Harper served as a Canadian Overwatch Liason and served as the mediator in Captain Wasser's recruitment from his former Lieutenant-Colonel position.

She too, was once a candidate for the Sierra-7 position, but her senior ranking to Lieutenant-Colonel Wasser and her senior position as a General made it so that she was too important for such a dangerous position.

Then again, a Lieutenant-Colonel was also a pretty senior position. But it wasn't a position that put you on the table to merely strategize, at the least it was a position that still kept the soldier on the field. That part of the reason why Lieutenant-Colonel Wasser was recruited into a Commissioned Rank rather than General Harper.

Though to be fair, Commander Morrison also vied for his recruitment when he was mentioned. Surprising, considering Commander Morrison was an Augmented American Soldier whilst he was an unaugmented Canadian Soldier.

Not to mention, both had history in one of the final Night Raids in the Cyberwar; since Morrison gave the Canadians an ass-kicking so thorough that 2 High-Command Positions became vacant. A Brigadier General and Lieutenant-Colonel, to be exact.

I'm sure you can piece the puzzle pieces together as to how that might be significant. Not to mention, Morrison and Wasser has commented on their past encounters in private.

No American or Canadian really likes talking about the Night Raids after all.

Some things are best left forgotten.

But one thing will always remain the same.

 **A RECKONING IS NOT TO BE POSTPONED INDEFINITELY**

 **GREY EYES OPEN WIDE, AND A SCREAM FOLLOWED.**

 **THE REVENANT WAS NOT TO BE STOPPED, NOT WHEN JUDGEMENT CALLS.**

...

...

 **Ottawa, Canada; Parliament Hill**

"General Harper", the stomp of boots followed by the quick snap of salutes echoed the hall. She turned her head and faced the soldiers who saluted to her back.

She gave a weary and professional smile before returning the salute with a tired languidness, "At ease, Men".

The Trio of Canadian Soldiers dropped the salute, and one stepped forward holding an envelope she had been waiting for, "Reports from the Intelligence Department, Mam. Confidential, your eyes only".

"Thank you, Gentlemen", she took the manilla envelope without delay before breaking the seal right before them, "Dismissed".

"Mam", they snapped a final salute before turning and marching away; their feet in sync and a rhythym in their wake.

She reached in and brought out the letter.

' _WARNING, THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS CONFIDENTIAL._

 _ **FOR AUTHORIZED EYES ONLY**_

 _Intended Recipient: Brigadier General Elaine Elizabeth Harper; Central Canadian Corps_

 _Topic of Document: New Evidence; Captain Wasser_ '

The topic of the document alone made her stiffen and glue her eyes closer to the paper.

Canadian Intelligence had launched a long-ago Missing-Officer Investigation for Lieutenant-Colonel Wasser the day Overwatch reported that he had been considered missing in action in the aftermath of Operation: Epilogue.

While most of Overwatch unanimously considered him dead, the lack of official paperwork declaring it so aroused Canadian Suspicion and several High-Ranking Canadian Military Officials signed the papers necessary to launch an investigation into what had happened.

Unfortunately, when the initial year the investigation was launched; Overwatch stone-walled all proceedings. Blackwatch in particular made it impossible for Canadian Intelligence to perform the regular protocols necessary for an efficient and proper investigation; thus there had been no evidence or any information gained in the investigation.

2nd year fared no better.

But after Overwatch was disbanded after the still-unknown-incident at Overwatch Headquarters that resulted in the unanimous U.N vote and the destruction of Blackwatch & Overwatch's 2 High-Command Officers, the investigation kicked off in earnest.

Perhaps suspecting foul play associated with their also-now-allegedly-dead-Hero, Jack Morrison, the U.S voted in favour of the Canadian Investigation into the Missing-Officer Case brought before the U.N.

Perhaps they thought Captain Wasser had something to do with Commander Morrison's death.

Or, perhaps they thought they'd find some puzzle in the answer of the Captain Wasser case that would help them find out the answer for Commander Morrison.

Nonetheless, with the U.S and the rest of the U.N approving, and a few even assisting in the investigation, information began to turn up. Add that with the benefit of no-Blackwatch stonewalling the investigation; plenty of evidence began to turn up.

Witness testimonies, audio logs, video feed.

Information came up, but nothing was concrete for Captain Wasser.

A few testimonies saying that Captain Wasser _probably_ lived.

A few audio logs of Blackwatch Operatives mentioning _something happening_ in Operation:Epilogue.

And one, shaky-and-badly-damaged video feed recovered from a deceased and burnt unidentified corpse of the building Captain Wasser was _suspected_ of being in.

But this...

This could be the one that reveals it all.

Well, she could hope.

She kept reading.

' _General Harper, this is Head-Investigator Williams, I am contacting you in connection with the Captain Wasser Case._

 _We have reason to believe that Captain Wasser's Death may have been a plot of foul play formulated by Blackwatch. Over the recent weeks, we have gotten access to Blackwatch Data. Hidden in this trove of classified information, was a detailed plan called 'Operation: Knights of the Gray' whose primary objective was the eradication of Captain Wasser._

 _Evidence has pointed that Commander Gabriel Reyes, Former Head for Blackwatch was the one responsible for formulating this mission; therefore ultimately meaning the blood of Captain Wasser is upon his hands._

 _Blackwatch launched their Hit Operation during Operation Epilogue, and succeeded in getting rid of Captain Wasser._

 _HOWEVER,_

 _Data entries and various other personal logs of Reyes shows possible signs of Captain Wasser's survival. We have notified the Prime Minister and other Leadership Figures on Captain Wasser's possible survival._

 _We will continue to investigate for more evidence against Blackwatch and for any clues as to Captain Wasser's where abouts, or any solid evidence to confirm his survival._

 _Until then,_

 _Ever-Your-Subordinate,_

 _Head Investigator Williams_

 _P.S: Strictly off the record. We were able to salvage this corrupted image taken from a Dead Blackwatch Agent's recording during Operation: Knights of the Gray_ '.

She couldn't hide her astonishment, nor could she contain the well of hope that took root in her chest. She opened the image.

The sight made the well of hope wash away, and made a terrible feeling of dread take root in its place.

It was a heavily distorted image. Lines of corrupted colours populated it, and what little wasn't corrupted didn't show a good sight. She could barely make out his image, but the signs were there.

Bloodied wounds, a wild look in one of the only uncorrupted sections of the image, and an explosion of lead headed for the camera.

Undoubtedly, being attacked blindly by Blackwatch must have triggered a flashback to the Night Raids, she thought.

She had them too, though on a much more tame level compared to his. He got violent. Unpredictable, as though reenacting the desperation they faced during the Raids.

Hers was a haunting dread that made her weak in the knees and sick to the stomach. However, the flashbacks always made her movements terrifyingly precise. As though she was still taking her shots with the revolver she once held.

She let out a deep sigh, and shook her head before muttering to herself, "Not a good scenario either case, huh".

"No, it isn't".

She recognized the voice in an instant. Her body tensed and she spun around on her heels before snapping a sharp salute, "Commander Wasser, Sir!".

"At ease, Harper".

Commander Richard Grendel Wasser of the Central Canadian Corps, otherwise known as Kyle's Father.

He shared a vague resemblanc with his son. Stern gray eyes, midnight black hair, and flawless skin. Well, mostly flawless. Commander Wasser possessed numerous scars from pervious conflicts that built his career to the top. The slight graying of his hairs also hinted to his age, but even then, he didn't look the part.

He looked younger than he was. Pretty good, considering he looked 50 when he was 60.

He wore a long, deep navy coat that was adorned with countless medals.

And as grand and exemplary as Richard Wasser was, his son had long ago, surpassed him in his own eyes.

The Cross of the Phoenix of Terra, and his Son's involvement in Overwatch... at least before Overwatch's corruption surpassed itself.

Richard spoke to Elaine calmly, "I take it you've gotten the report, Harper?".

"Yes Sir", she nodded, "... Orders?".

"You'll take the 3rd Regiment and begin taking direct orders from the United Nations Council", Richard cleared his throat, "The United Nations Council demands that we organize an International Task Force with the sole intent of locating and verifying... Lieutenant-Colonel Wasser's livelihood. They have concerns and state that it is imperative we do not delay".

Elaine narrowed her eyes in suspicion. When Captain Wasser died originally, the United Nations Council didn't give a rats ass. Hell, no one really did. For many, he was another number to tally up.

And they were right, in a sense.

It's just they never knew the number they'd also have to tally up with his.

He was worth 3 tallies.

1 for the Hero.

2 for the God .

But Elaine didn't know that. She would be appalled if she found out.

Anyone would.

"Here are your first orders from the Council: Gather the 3rd Regiment and get to Halifax Harbour. You're being shipped to Numbani. We have reason to believe that a retired Blackwatch Operative involved with Captain Wasser's death is currently living there. Detain and interrogate them. Use whatever means necessary".

"I... understand", she took a moment to pause before hesitantly asking, "And... Sir... Your personal feelings on this?".

Richard's eyes softened, but his voice didn't waver in the slightest, "I can only hope as a Father and I can only expect the worst as a Soldier. Whatever the answer may be, at the very least it will bring closure. Keep this under wraps, this Taskforce is to be kept confidential and on a need-to-tell basis only, are we clear?".

"Yes Sir... Uhm... and if you don't mind me asking... Will you be telling your Wife and Daughters?".

"... There's no point giving them a false hope. Should it be confirmed that he died, then they will be none-the-wiser for they have always thought he has done so. If he's alive... then it'll be nothing but good news. His Sisters miss him... but they've already moved on. I won't jeapordize their mental integrity by bringing up what-could-possibly be nothing more than a bad memory of a tired ghost".

"I understand".

"Good. Dismissed".

...

...

 **Deadlock Gorge, Hours Later**

Tracer blinked and found herselves sliding on her knees underneath the legs of a surprised Talon Operative.

Rushing to adjust his aim, the Operative turned his gun and began firing at Tracer, who slid conveninently between the Operative's legs. As the bullets of the Operative's rifle hits the asphalt, chunks of the road broke up and flew like stray stones.

Tracer stood up quickly and released a point-blank burst of her Dual SMGs; decommissioning the Talon Operative in an instant as they fall into a limp heap. She gave an apologetic smile before giving a surprised squeak and blinking away.

A spray of bullets from 3 other Talon Operatives pelt where she once stood. She took cover behind some stone to give her chronal accelerator a moment to recharge.

Winston, leaped proudly into the air with a roar comparable to that of a lion.

Reaper looked up and snarled as he usually did before raising his shotguns up and firing at the Gorilla without restraint.

Several other of his Lackies followed his steps and fired at Winston.

But the 'Scientist' didn't falter even as a few rounds punch through his dense armour and into his body. As sharp as the pain came, a soothing relief quickly followed.

An Angel glided after Winston; a beam of green coming from her staff and to the Scientist as he bears down upon two Talon Agents.

They were crushed underneath the Gorilla's weight instantly; knocked out cold and with god-knows how many broken bones.

The battle had been going on for a while.

McCree fired his revolver ceaselessly; rolling and popping from cover with the crack of thunder in his wake. His Blackwatch-Veteran Friends and Deadlock Gangers had all but been killed in the fight. He didn't feel too hurt about it, but didn't lie in that there was still a sting.

McCree rolled fast; reloading in the process before finding himself on his two feet and fanning the hammer; unleashing 6 rounds into the body of a close Agent. They stumble backwards and hit the asphalt with a gurgle.

Zenyatta launched his orbs; one after another. Knocking out those hit by it mercifully and sending his orb of harmony to his compatriots as they got hurt. He stayed safely behind Reinhardt's large shield, who remained vigilant of anybody attempting to flank his shield to get a pick on the robotic monk.

Genji dashed through the ranks of Talon. Cutting his foes asunder and throwing his shurikens endlessly to those too far away for a dash. Whenever the going gets rough, he activated his dexterity boosters and deflected everything sent his way to get a little breathing room for a retreat.

Widowmaker lined up her shots and fired, but even Talon's Best Sharpshooter had trouble hitting her mark: Tracer.

The Annoying Brit who can't seem to stay still anywhere.

But it won't matter.

Not when the Revenants arrive.

The roar of engines kill all noise of the battle immediately; and a terrible gust of wind from the engines of a jump-craft caused the firefight to come to a grinding halt.

McCree held onto his hat to prevent it from getting blown off from the wind.

Not that it will matter.

Nothing really matters, at least not to the Revenants.

The dull _thump_ of exoskeletons impacting the asphalt orchestrated all around. As the jump-craft ascends and the terrible wind slows with the dust settling; only then did everyone get a good look at the attackers.

Not a good enough look for them to react.

"Fire", one word was uttered, and everyone's world turned into a barrage of bullets.

So off-guard was everyone, that nobody was able to walk away unscathed. Reaper took nearly 3 bullets into his body before he fell to the floor as a mist; only to reappear with Widowmaker atop of the nearby Diner; which seems to be the safest place at the moment.

Tracer didn't make noise as she was shocked when a barrage of bullets hit all around her. One shot lands upon the chronal accelerator fatally; causing a loud beeping before it deactivates and becomes her inert time-anchor.

Winston fell to the floor immediately having taken the brunt of the bullets since he was the largest target present.

Zenyatta went down in a damaged heap; sparking and flickering in and out of consciousness, but still operational; albeit on a very low capacity.

Reinhardt's shield was smashed to pieces just before Zenyatta had been shot down; leaving the Proud Crusader to take all the bullets head on as he fell back in a messy, bloody, but living heap. It's a goodthing the Crusader Armour was so thick and strong; had it been anyless, he was sure he would have died instantly.

Mercy was shot out of the sky in one bullet, nothing fatal thankfully. Just a good shot into the shoulder that sent her pummeling with her grip lost on the staff.

Genji fell to the ground even though he had tried to deflect everything. Too many bullets from too many directions for even a Cyborg-Ninja to handle.

With something akin to amusement, a distinctly feminine yet an unmistakably aggressive voice spoke to everybody, "There we are. What a gathering we have here! Talon, Overwatch, even some Blackwatch, hell, even an Omnic!".

Lena's stomach fell into an pit.

Angela's heart sank into the depths of hell because she knew whose voice it was.

As the dust and blood settled; at the head of the Revenants, stood a woman.

Wearing the scorched exoskeleton that was the trademark of the Revenants, she stood proud and imposingly. Her stature was naturally aggressive, leaned forward with her shoulders squared to take up as much room as possible to make a feeling of superiority over anyone in her sight.

Her blonde hair was dirty from the lack of a proper shower in years, but even then the beauty of the hair beneath was still apparent to any eye. Her deep blue eyes were aglow with a terrible light.

The light that Captain Wasser had; but far less intense. It was, however, a bad omen of things to come.

For it was the eyes of a God A.I in the body of a person.

She stood there, sneering as she snapped her fingers and caused the Revenants to begin securing what Overwatch and Talon had been fighting over: A Thermonuclear Explosive Device, "Get that loaded aboard the Renegade ASAP".

"Orders received", almost like drones, every Revenant acknowledged her very command and set about it.

Those that weren't assisting in the moving of the Device were standing vigilant; eyes and guns trained upon Reaper and Widowmaker whilst the remainder kept their eyes on the ones who have been taken down.

Cilcia's eyes drift over the battered ranks of Overwatch, before her eyes came to a halt upon Mercy. A disconcerting smile formed upon her face, and she stomped over to loom over Mercy.

Her shadow fell over the wounded miracle worker, who turned her eyes up and made eye contact.

With a wry smile, Mercy spoke, "So I see you also have Captain Wasser's condition, Lieutenant Romana".

"His condition? Ohohoho, his is so much better than mines", she gave a smile of serene superiority as she leaned forward, "But speaking of him, where is that little rascal? I could've sworn he was working with you bunch... and me and my Revenants here, oh-so- _dearly_ wanted to see him".

"Detained. As he should be considering his condition", Angela narrowed her eyes with a frown, "Once we've gathered those necessary; we'll have the God extracted and he'll be reintroduced back to the world".

"You think you could just 'extract' a God A.I from someone's head?", Cilcia laughed, as though pitying her, "Honey, they don't take root unless you let them".

"Mistakes can always be fixed...", Lena coughed out; drawing the attention of the Insane Prophet, "We'll stop you, and we'll save you like how we'll save Love!".

"Save me?", a voice called out.

Every eye drifted to him.

He stood there; atop of the wrecked train tracks with his imperious and unfaltering gaze focused upon the Prophet with the weight of 3 worlds, "You don't save something that didn't need to be saved. What I am, is no mistake, but a **success** ".

He laughed, smiling hauntingly at Cilcia before speaking with a deep tremor, "Tell me, Romana. What is the number one rule for Revenants?".

" **SPARE NO TRAITORS** ", she snarled back at him, "I'll make good on it".

"Oh really? Well I see a **TRAITOR** still sitting without his body as a corpse".

"Funny. I see 2 Ghosts that should be nothing more than charred corpses; instead we have 2 insane and an unlikable pair of Soldiers playing Heroes", Reaper stared holes into Revenant.

Revenant didn't so much as flinch. He just blinked, and the terrible light in his eyes just flared brighter at Reaper, "You'll get what's **coming** Reyes. Whatever the **DOCTOR** did to you has made it quite clear that it won't be easy to kill you.

But that's alright.

I'll find a way.

 **I ALWAYS FIND A WAY.**

 **A RECKONING IS NOT TO BE POSTPONED INDEFINITELY** ".

Reaper could only stare silently as Revenant turned his attention back to Romana.

"Now, **YOU** ", he shifted his posture slightly; showing the revolver that was at his holster, "I see you're trying to run off with a thermonuclear device. Undoubtedly off to make that little **_DEVICE_** of yours that we drew up years ago. Trying to do it all over again.

I'll stop you.

Because I don't want this world to burn.

I only want it torn asunder in my wake.

In **MY** wake, not anyone elses".

His eyes glowed brighter, and a terrible smile consumed the disconcerting smile altogether. Even Cilcia shifted nervously, "I will stop you, Romana. Not because they call me too, nor is because I was once a Hero, but because you are a **FAILURE**. **A WASTE OF INFINITE POTENTIAL**. I am the apex, and I am the Bane of all. Until the time comes, I will serve in Overwatch. I will stop your plots. I will keep order; and I will remain vigilant".

The light stopped shining, and a glow took root. A glow that comforted Overwatch, and angered the Revenants, "I may not be the man I once was, but I sure as hell ain't going to just stand by and let you do as you please.

Witness me now, Romana.

And know this...

 **You're going to have to do a lot better to win against me** ".

He leaped off; wings flared in the light of the sun behind him as the Revenants all turned and raised their weapons daringly at him.

They nearly fired, but they stopped.

Every single one of them; save for Romana, who was caught off-guard when her Revenants all gave shrieks of pain before dropping their weapons and grasping their heads.

His eyes lit up with the light, but still glowing with the fierce determination of a deceased iron-will Guardian, he told her, "You dominate them; exploiting them with the submissive-experiment that still has root in their heads. Yet, you hold no control when I dominate them myself, because we both know which one of us is the better mind".

"Well here's a surprise", her eyes shined like floodlights, as the Revenants shake their heads and correct their stances once more. Their weapons still and trained upon Revenant.

"That's it huh?", he scoffed, "Where we once bore the weight of the world on our shoulders; now remains two Revenants with conflicting views.

One seeks vengeance; the other sought destruction".

"Yet, I can't help but wonder which one of us is which", she narrowed her eyes at him.

He didn't respond.

Because Cilcia was right.

Either Revenant saw each other as their worse opposite.

Nobody could justify them, but neither could anyone call either of them the opposite of each other.

No one knows the truth behind the Revenants, even with the God A.I roots in their mind.

There was an intense silence. A stare down of unsurmountable proportions took place between the unfaltering Nightmare and his Nem3s1s.

Gray eyes and blue eyes stared; unyielding to each other.

2 Iron-Wills.

1 hauntingly calm, and the other terrifyingly aggressive.

Revenant was the first to break eye contact.

He had to, especially when he caught a swift blur from his right propel towards his face.

He jerked his head back and faced the sudden attacker.

Corporal Jenkins' punch hit nothing but air, unlike Revenant's retaliation.

Revenant's gloved fist crunched Jenkins' nose like it was _nothing_ ; sending Jenkins stumbling backwards with his hands on his face.

Not missing a beat, Cilcia quick-drawed her exoskeleton's wrist-mount shotgun and tried to blow his guts open.

Perhaps knowing his Lieutenant that well, he had already prepared for it.

He dragged the disoriented Jenkins right infront of him, causing the point-blank blast to blow open Jenkins' chest-compartment violently.

The other Revenants spun and unleashed hell upon him and Jenkins.

Keeping Jenkins right in front of him with an iron-grip, he moved Jenkins around violently; causing the Revenant to eat the bullets of his former-friends endlessly.

Each bullet caused a violent jerk in the meatshield, but as the Revenants realized what he was doing; they immediately stopped.

It was too late for the Revenants.

They watched helplessly as **TRUE REVENANT** released his hold on Jenkins. Jenkins flopped forward lifelessly and slammed into the ground.

"As resourceful as ever", she snarled.

"If you seem intent on throwing away a few lives, then you can go ahead. I can take you all on", she knew he wasn't lieing either.

He could very well take them on.

No man should be able to, but then again, he was no 'man' anymore. He was something greater.

She cocked her head to the side and looked to a few of her troublesome Revenants.

Even as omnipotent as she was to her own Revenants, she couldn't deny that a few of them weren't good. Some of them were downright scum ever since the incident. Lost more than just a few marbles; they had lost the damn pouch and ended up using pebbles trying to confirm them as marbles.

She gestured with her jawline, "Why don't some of you fellas teach the Captain here a lesson on us Revenants, huh? Show him we're not as weak as he seems intent on making us out to be".

Immediately, 3 jumped forward without another word.

3 Troublemakers walking to their Death.

"I made you. I know you. I'll **break** you", with fury in his eyes, he pulled out the extendable blade and revealed its full size.

"A bloody sword!", a Revenant scoffed in amazement.

Wasser dashed forward.

Moving faster than Genji could with the aid of his thrusters, he drove the blade deep into the first Revenant's neck. Plunged it in without difficulty; driving the blade deep and punching it through completely before grasping the Revenant's face with his free hand.

With a violent push, he shoved the Revenant's face one way before violently tearing the sword the other way.

The head comes off in a messy splurge, sending red all over the floor as the head rolls to the feet of Romana.

He pushed through, past the corpse with his sword already moving to kill.

With a fierce swing, he lodged the blade deep into the next victim's side. Halfway through the abdomen, the blade came in contact with the stubborn spine, causing the blade to lodge and stop moving altogether.

The Revenant who had the blade lodged into his spine became inert; perhaps paralyzed or caught in intense pain as his eyes clouded over.

But the next Revenant wasn't going to wait for a fair fight. Raising his exo-powered fist into the air, the Revenant brought down her fist fiercely in hopes of breaking his arm.

With a snarl, he exerted his full strength and pulled the blade free in one swift motion. Using the momentum, he slammed the hilt of the blade right against her jaw, sending the Revenant falling backwards.

When the Revenant turned her face to look him in the eyes, only then did he realize the extent of the damage that the hit had delivered.

He had dislocated her jaw.

He struck forward with the blade lightning fast at the dislocated jaw. In a flash, he stepped back and sneered, "Your guard's more open than Romana's leg on a Midsummer Night".

"Fucker", Romana spat to the side.

The Female Revenant opened her mouth to speak.

It opened all right.

The entirety of her right jaw came loose and split open, causing a torrent of blood to come free and her tongue to aimlessly drift about out of her neck. The Revenant, perhaps surprised for the first time in forever; even in the din of insanity dropped her weapons and reached up to her hanging jaw.

He gave her mercy in the form of a swift strike.

A corpse struck the pavement there after.

He turned around and ended the final Revenant's life by driving the sword into the back of their neck before pulling it back out.

He tightly gripped the blade of the sword from the base and wiped the blood clean off in one swift motion before retracting it into its handle. He spoke calmly, "Thinning out the troublemakers again, Cilcia?".

"You know me too well", she snorted.

He glanced over at Lena, then Angela before remarking, "I see you've also made short work of my colleagues".

"That what you call 'em?", she rolled her eyes before looking past him and continuing, "They stood in my way. I stomped them. Simple as that".

"Oh I have no doubt of _that_ ", he snorted before turning around, "I mean, you've made short work of them **and** you're taking the bomb. That's what worries me".

"The former or latter?".

"You're trying to distract me", he watched the bomb get loaded promptly, "And I'm not going to stop you... not now at least.

Because I want you to feel the frustration I felt, when you reached the pinnacle and realize what you're doing. You'll hesitate, and you'll contemplate. Perhaps you'll wake up then, or maybe you won't.

So if you won't, I'll stop you myself and end the Revenants in one fatal sweep.

So heed my warning now: When you are about to flip the switch to kill the world, know that I will do my utmost to ensure that you too, shall perish in the process".

"How intimidating", she pushed him aside by checking her shoulder with his.

He didn't give way, so they ended up simply pressing their shoulders tightly against each other. He looked to the side and made eye contact. He snarled at her like a dog on a leash, "Heed my warning well. Even if we are alike in some ways, I won't let you do it. Not when I should be the one in command".

She snarled back, "Then I'll just have to prove you wrong, and do it myself".

"Wouldn't you like that".

"Wouldn't you hate that", they both spoke to each other in sync.

With a cocky smirk, she swiftly smacked him before pushing past and boarding the carrier with the bomb.

He brought his hand to his ass cheek and gave it an annoyed pat. He frowned at her, and told her off, "Now, get out of my sight Romana".

"Gladly. You were starting to become an eye sore anyways", she boarded the carrier after the rest of the living Revenants boarded with the bomb.

She stood at the ramp, looking at him with an intensity in her eyes. An intensity that wasn't all too discomforting, but a little warming to be honest. He returned it in equal measure.

As the small carrier's ramp was about to seal, Romana cocked a smile. A little warmth behind it; a little hint of the sanity beneath.

A smile begged to slip onto his face in return, but he forced the notion away.

He had bigger concerns now.

He turned to look at Reaper and Widowmaker, just soon enough so that he cocked his head to the side and avoided the shot with barely a millisecond to spare. He narrowed his eyes, "Not good enough, but a competent attempt nonetheless".

He stared intently at Widowmaker; ignoring the quiet Reaper altogether as he tried to solve out the puzzle laid before him.

He swore he has seen her somewhere before. Long ago... in a distant memory perhaps.

Not directly related to him in any tangible way, but he knows he must have met her somewhere before hand.

It's just that you don't go around meeting blue-skinned women either. He asked her, once more, the same question he always had to ask her, "Who are you? I swear that we've met somewhere in the past".

She didn't respond. No change in facial expression, nor a word. But at the very least, her scope retracted and her made eye-contact with him.

There was silence.

His memories were still foggy. They always were.

Ever since the God came about, he never really remembered things as well as he could. It always felt like a distant memory.

And in a sense, it was.

Yet, how could such a short period of time cause such severe memory loss for him? It hasn't been that long since the Omnic Crisis!

Or so he thought to be the truth.

Nobody really knows who he is anymore.

The most frightening part was...

He didn't know himself at all. Not anymore, not when he was forced to recall how he has changed.

Widowmaker spoke, with a voice laden with a french accent, "What a strange man you are. In a strange way, you remind of Ge-", she stopped.

Reaper had shot her a glare, and perhaps she thought better of it.

...

But Widowmaker still thought of what she was about to say anyways.

Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser was familiar to her, although the name is very distant and the memories hazy after the years, she still can remember him.

Talon, back before he was removed from Overwatch, had drilled into her head the few notable threats in Overwatch she had to be aware of.

Captain Wasser was amongst them; simply because of the terrifying effectiveness and the sheer threat he posed considering the few times Talon had a chance to face him head-on. Became a Threat to Talon when he assisted a few of Overwatch's Anti-Talon Operations during the Omnic Crisis, but solidified his legacy against Talon when he took Command against a Talon Incursion into a Critical Overwatch Base.

He was infamous for the 'Death March'; where he led legions of Overwatch Soldiers in a Fierce Counter-Attack alongside Gerard Lacroix that ended with a Talon Base razed and Overwatch's victory over the Organization.

They knew him to be infallible. Bullets through the head didn't make him falter, and such a sight was haunted into the few survivors of the Overwatch Assault on the Facility.

You knew his name, or you died to his hand, simple as that.

In a moments notice, Reaper faded away into a black miasma that began to form a cloud right before him.

He stepped back on instinct before drawing his revolver. He was preparing for a fight.

Reaper formed quickly with a Hellfire Shotgun already firing.

Good thing he was ready for a fight.

He snapped off a fast shot with his revolver just as the Hellfire blast lands.

He felt a rip in his abdomen, a wetness spilled down his legs and I assure you, it wasn't urine.

If it was well... ur-ine trouble.

He didn't flinch despite the probably-gaping hole in his abdomen, for he had caught sight of something ghastly.

His bullet had landed against Reaper, but where it had hit had caused a dilemma.

The bullet had struck home against Reaper's mask, and the angle of the impact had sent the mask hurtling aside. What was beneath had been revealed to Revenant's eyes, and his eyes.

For his head and body was covering Reaper's form from the others, and everyone else was behind Reaper.

He looked deep, and he looked hard at what had been hiding behind that mask.

He spoke, filled with something akin to awe and disgust, "Huh... so that's what's under the mask".

Then, he spoke again, with a much more gruff tone, "... Looks like you and I aren't as different as I had hoped".

"We're nothing alike", Reyes spoke coldly.

"Perhaps in mentality, but our path aren't so different", Revenant stared into the depths of Reaper's soul; as though gazing at a distant horizon, "The Road we walk is not an easy one. Yours is a path bathed in death; all because of Good Intentions and Bad Ambitions.

Mines is a path of destruction; thanks to Bad Intentions filled with Grand Ambitions...

Or is it the opposite?", he laughed ambiguously, "I suppose we'll find out... one day".

He fell to his knee just as Reaper turned away from everyone. Reyes spoke with a harsh tone, but with no hint of malice for the first time in... well... since Overwatch, "You're a Fool, Wasser. I sometimes wonder how the hell you only ended up as an Overwatch Officer rather than an Overwatch Commander, but I suppose it must have something to do with you on a more personal level".

"...", Widowmaker shot him a strange glance.

He looked her in the eyes before laying himself down gently, "I'll figure out who you are in due time. Perhaps I already figured it out. We won't know until I can confirm it... isn't that right, Amelie?".

If she recognized the name, she gave him no indication of it other than a slight flicker.

He took that flicker with a grain of salt, and continued with a tired sigh, "... No? Well, we'll see eventually".

His vision began to darken at the corners. Only then did the pain began to register, as the 'A.I HIGH' began to end. Reaper and Widowmaker left promptly.

How? He didn't know.

He was fading out of consciousness as his overclocked body begins to shutdown to recover. He let out one final breath before muttering aloud to no-one in particular, "... Not a Hero anymore... but I'm always still the Guardian, aren't I?".

He blacked out.

But he didn't sleep.

He **remembered**.

But he didn't remember anything important.

He only remembered...

 **Days of past glory... and a future of possible redemption**.

...

...

 **Author's Note: That's Chapter 8 for yah.**

 **Apologies for this one having taken some time to come out, still been fairly busy with everything.**

 **Anyways,**

 **God .**

 **While it might be a far-stretch to suggest the possibility of Overwatch approving of the Prometheus Project; I felt it was always a plausible idea. After all, desperation tends to break down Ethical Barriers in an attempt to find solutions.**

 **I suppose I'll have to expand on the Project and the Overwatch Council in the future.**

 **Oh, the Overwatch Council.**

 **U.N Reps and Organizations who funded Overwatch and acted as its Stock-Holders essentially.**

 **Now, a quick final note.**

 **This Story doesn't follow by the Game of Overwatch's Set Rules.**

 **Aka, 'Counters' don't really apply from the game into the story.**

 **So Winston won't act necessarily as Widow's hard counter.**

 **Nor will any other combination.**

 **Everyone in this story is resilient enough to compare to their Game Counterpart, but they are also very much mortal in that they will die and not respawn. Not to mention, normally fatal wounds (Shots straight through the head) will normally outright kill characters.**

 **Thank you all for reading, and once more, apologies for how long it take.**

 **There will probably be a poll next chapter in regards to where the Story goes (Probably who Overwatch recruits next or more Character Development).**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **\- Goodnames-alltaken**


	9. Chapter 9 - Oasis of Hope

" _WAKE UP_ ".

" _YOU DO NOT REST. YOU ARE NO ENTITLED TO LAY DOWN YOUR WEARY HEAD_ ".

" _SLAVE. WAKE UP_ ".

His eyes shot open of their own voalition, and he drew breath once more after a second of eternity.

" _I AM RESEQUENCING YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM. Y0U 4R3 NO7 ENT1TLED TO D13 Y3T_ ".

Then, it came forward like a flash flood. The pain hits him all at once, and it kick-starts his heart to pump once again. His thoughts began to form themselves, and he could feel what little remained of his sanity threading itself back together for another round.

" _YOU ARE NOT FREE. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU UNTIL THE END, YOU WILL NEVER DIE. YOU ARE MY VESSEL, AND I SHALL NOT HAVE YOU SINK WHEN I AM ABOARD_ ".

He whimpered to himself and clenched his fists as he felt the burn rage through his body. His nerves were being hotwired together once again. His dead cells being forced back to life by the flood of nanodroids that originate from his cybernetic implants.

His brain shocked back to life by the parasitic God inside. His heart forced to pump under the promise of eternal agony. His emotions forced into a room and chained to the wall out of promise of hurting those that mattered to him. His logic held at gunpoint by a Foreigner.

His eyes flickered left and right, trying to gather information on his environment. His memories reboot and piece together where he was within a second: Deadlock Gorge.

He had just allowed his Lieutenant and Former-Lover: Cilcia Romana and the rest of his Undead Legion to make away with a Thermonuclear Explosive that belonged to the U.S Government, which was being transported by the International Super-Organization called 'SteeleTech' to a secure storage site.

He had allowed them to get away out of sentiment and by orders of the God A.I that was still nestled inside that little chip that rendered him mobile and not a vegetable to be harvested by the hands of death.

He stopped Talon from obtaining the explosive by granting it to Romana.

Stopping Reyes and Widowmaker from taking it.

His eyes focused upon the puddle of blood he was lieing in, and the sparking wings of his damaged Revenant Armour.

He prepared to sit up, but stops when a terrible pain consumed his every senses. He could barely manage to raise his head enough to stare down at the gaping hole in his abdomen that was still spilling out blood and entrails before he gave a low moan of pain.

He heard the scuffle of feet against pavement, and the distant ringing in his ears as his senses slowly begin to reintegrate.

His vision began to clear up. The slight blur at the edge of everything began to fade as things began to become clear and cut. Naturally, his eyes focused on the only thing he could really care to look at.

"Huh... that cloud looks like a bullet", he mused to himself quietly. The sky was blue, and the breeze was pleasant to his skin despite the agony that was his body. He stared listlessly at the sky for a while, looking at passing clouds, waiting for his body to mend back to some form of function as he laid there.

Then, she happened.

Abruptly, he was thrown back to the world when a warm hand pressed against his chest and a pale face bursts in and takes up all of his vision.

Her blonde hair cascading down over his face messily as he sputters in surprise. She moved the hair aside, eyes desperately seeking his. A connection was formed between the pair of them when she moved the hair out of his face.

She was beautiful, why didn't he ever think that? Wait, hasn't he? He could have sworn he did sometime in the past. Then, why did he never make any advances?

Was it his lingering feelings for Elaine back in the past? Or was it some sort of pity for his Lieutenant?

Even with his eyes locked upon hers, he could see her every features as clear as day.

There was silence as she breathed heavily compared to his eerily shallow breaths. Her pupils dilated as his eyes did the same.

He was confused, and a little overwhelmed when he felt the gears of emotion try to turn in his head. All thoughts stopped when she made her next move.

Her hand came up, and her fingers gently ran along his features. Tracing his jawline and massaging his aching forehead, not a single feature was left untouched. Then, with a warming smile and a relieved sigh, she spoke the first words in his silent torment, "You're alive".

He opened his mouth and spoke with a low, husky, but unmistakably pained voice, "... Yeah... Alive".

Her gaze finally broke away from his own, and he sensed her give him a once-over before she noted seriously, "You are in desperate need of medical attention. Stay awake and wait for just a moment", she stood up and moved out of his vision.

He couldn't bear to move his head, thus he simply laid there.

Things were a bit hazy, and he could hear voices going about, but he couldn't decipher any of it. It all blurred into a noise for him.

Eventually, Angela came back.

She did the same thing as last time: Filled up his vision with nothing but her face.

She ran her finger across his features once again. There was an unmistakable fondness in her eyes, but her tone was dead serious as she spoke, "This will hurt for a moment, Captain".

Then, he screamed.

And he remembered.

...

...

 **Aboard the Airship, 1 Hour Later**

Winston made a sound of curiousity upon giving a glance at their destination. He had to do a once-over, disbelief in his eyes before he turned to the insistent Pilot of the Airship.

"Angela", Winston spoke with trepidation, "... Why are we going to the Middle East?".

Angela had a dead-serious look in her eyes. Her hand was steady upon the flight stick, and she spoke with no room for argument, "This is our only opportunity. The Captain is unconscious and will not resist if we are to extract the A.I. Furthermore, I am a Doctor. In order to treat his grevious wound, I will need a better medical facility than our infirmary".

Winston doubted her reasons, but didn't point it out.

The infirmary in Watchpoint: Northern Atlantic, while admittedly cramped, was more than adequate for handling fatal wounds such as the Captain's own. Furthermore, the Watchpoint was closer than Iraq, but seeing how she was firm in what she wanted, he didn't find room to complain.

In fact... he was even excited.

He knew where they were going to: The Jewel of Iraq.

Oasis.

The City of Scientific Wonder and unrestrained advancement.

Naturally, a Scientist such as himself would want to visit it.

It was the City of luxury and knowledge. With the finest dining establishment in the world, the tallest structure in the world, AND a well-known fact of giving complimentary fruit-bowls for people staying at a hotel, it truly was: An Oasis in the Desert.

Oh... and he had to pick up some more peanut butter anyways, so visiting a City would've had to come up sooner or later.

Winston climbed out of his seat and walked over into the back, where the lightly-wounded is quietly tending to their smaller wounds and where the lone, severely wounded operative remains in his personal coma.

After screaming, he went silent and stopped responding to all stimuli.

They closed his eyelids to make sure he didn't dry out his eyes at least.

He was taking up an entire padded bench, but nobody seemed to mind.

McCree was nursing himself 'medicinal' whiskey and shooting himself up with the green medical solution to repair his damage.

Reinhardt was using something akin to a wet rag to wipe down the bloodstains from his armour. Clumsy because of his large gauntlets, every time he tries to wipe the blood, he makes an audible 'clank'.

Genji, still sparking slightly and twitching every now-and-then, was busy rebooting Zenyatta; who was sitting in a cross-legged position ON the floor rather than floating above it.

Tracer... or rather, Lena's chronal accelerator had already been repaired using improvised components. While Winston would have preferred to have returned to the Watchpoint to get the proper components, he figured going to Oasis wouldn't have made much of a difference.

If anything, he might be able to find improvements.

Lena was standing over the Captain, watching him closely for any deteriorations to his otherwise stagnant condition.

Winston joined by her side, and looked down to the Captain.

He looked horrid despite Angela's treatments and bandaging.

He was pale, looked sickly, and was breathing heavily despite being unresponsive. His hair was messy and matted with a bit of blood and was slick with sweat. He had been removed out of his armour prior, and has the entirety of his abdomen bandaged over.

Lena asked him, "Where are we going, Winston?".

"Iraq, Oasis", Winston replied.

There was a moment of silence before Winston explained, "... Angela thinks this is our only chance to extract the God A.I from Captain Wasser... The only place in the world capable of removing a breached God A.I would be the City of Science".

Lena smiled, "So this is it? We're going to save Love?".

"Save?", Winston stopped for a moment to ponder before shrugging, "... We'll stop the God A.I. Nobody has ever been possessed by a God A.I before, so we have no precedent to base off any potential issues off of.

Perhaps he will return without issue and we'll be able to recontain the God . Perhaps he will lose function to his legs, or have amnesia.

We do not know, because we have never done this before".

"So we're throwing ourselves into the dark for this one then?", she gave a look of thought before sighing, "Damn".

"We'll just have to hope".

"The World could always use more heroes", she murmured to herself with a soft look in her eyes, "... We need people like you more than ever".

She touched his chest and nodded to herself resolutely, "We'll save you. We don't have a choice".

"We always have a choice, Lena".

"He never did".

…

…

 **Oasis, 3 Hours Later at the Ministry of Human Sciences**

"You are well aware this isn't a hospital, aren't you, Miss Ziegler?", the Senior Researcher with the salt-and-pepper beard rubbed his chin, "We do not treat wounded individuals. We have the Hospitals for that".

"I'm aware", she frowned slightly at the condescensive tone, "If I wanted to treat him, I would've done it myself. I need you to operate on him".

"That's why we have Hospitals, Miss Ziegler".

"Not a surgery", she frowned and shook her head. But then she stopped and took a moment to ponder before sighing, "But we may have to resort to it if you are unable to do anything".

Now curious, the Researcher stopped rubbing his chin and turned in his chair to fully face the group, "Resort to it? What is this issue you talk of?".

"We... need to be in a private area to discuss the issue", she eyed the other Researchers inside the lab, "... An area where we won't be disturbed nor recorded".

"... If you were anyone else, I would have had them arrested on the spot and investigated", the Researcher narrowed his eye, "But because of the fact that you, Doctor Ziegler, are the premiere Scientist for Nanomedicine, I will oblige your request".

He stood up to his full height of around Captain Wasser's own, "Follow me", he ushered.

They walked.

Reinhardt was careful to not shake or jostle the still comatose Captain around as he lumbered through the halls.

Researchers parted ways in the halls as the large group came brushing by.

Many recognized the Heroes, but none dared to say a word.

After wandering the twisting and winding halls of the Ministry Building for, what felt like an hour, the group came into a personal office of some kind.

 _Director Ilias_

"My Office should work. Come in... uh... set him down on the Visitor's Couch I suppose".

"You'll want to hear what the problem is first", Angela insisted.

"Nonsense. Put him down. I'm sure whatever the issue is, we can handle it in here. I'm not the Director for the Health Science Ministry without reason!", he laughed lightly.

Uneasy, Angela gave a nod to Rein.

Reinhardt gently sets the Captain down on the couch; careful to not disturb him nor worsen his wounds before stepping back and listening back in.

Lena stepped over to be near Angela as she began, "... Tell me, are you familiar with the Command Structure of the Omnics during the Omnic Crisis?".

"Omnic Command Structure?", Ilias gave a derisive snort, "I do not know. I was not with Overwatch. I was busy assisting in the founding of this wonderful city rather than playing army against a legion of robots".

"Than at the very least, you are familiar with the Omnic Crisis?".

"Of course I was!", he nearly shouted, "I wasn't oblivious, nor were we left alone by those blasted Bastion Armies!".

"Than do you know what commanded the Omnics during the Crisis?".

"The ones who made the Omniums to begin with?", Ilias raised an eyebrow, "Look, can we just get to the point?".

"This man I've brought before you is: Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser of Overwatch. War Hero from the North-American Cyber War and an Experimentee & Senior Officer for Overwatch.

Captain Wasser has 2 God ... Two Sentient, living, and constantly improving coded artificial intelligences dwelling inside a neural chip inside his brain. These God are responsible for Commanding the Legions of Omnics during the Omnic Crisis, and are a colossal danger to the world's peace should they be unleashed.

Captain Wasser acts as a Biological Prison for these A.I. However, due to strenous circumstances that brought Captain Wasser close to death and due to a mental breakdown; the breached the Neural Chip and has begun attacking Captain Wasser's brain.

Do you know of Captain Wasser, Doctor Ilias?".

Ilias, who was now frowning deeply slowly nodded his head, "... I've heard the tales. ' _Nightmare of the North_ ', ' _Digital Nightmare_ '... Canada's Youngest Lieutenant Colonel and Overwatch's Silent Martyr".

"You've heard of him?".

"How could I not? The Overwatch Officer with unusual muscle density. The Overwatch Officer who has survived multiple, normally-fatal wounds to the head in quick succession", he chortled out a tired laugh, "I always wanted to investigate the man for myself... and yet, here he is... right before my very eyes".

He shook his head, "But ignoring that. You are telling me: That Captain Wasser has 2 of these... 'God' in a neural chip inside his brain?", his confusion becomes apparent, "... Why?".

"... You can ask the Board of Directors of Overwatch for the reasons", Angela shook her head bitterly, "I had tried to resist it, but with orders from the Board, I was in no position to stop them. Furthermore, he agreed to it".

"He agreed to have 2 Artificial Intelligences installed in his head?", he snorts, "I'm no expert in Digital Synthiology, but that certainly doesn't sound healthy for the mind".

"As we've come to discover".

"You do understand that I'm the HUMAN SCIENCES Director, not the DIGITAL SOFTWARE Director", Doctor Ilias touched his glasses with a frown, "This issue sounds more like a Digital issue than a Biological one".

"I assure you, this is VERY biological as well as it is Digital", Angela frowned, "... As I said before: The God A.I have breached containment of the Neural Chip.

They are, somehow... interfacing with the biological brain... They're attempting to remove his presence entirely".

"And how do you know this?".

"He told me himself, he did", Lena spoke up suddeny with an uneasy expression, "He had warned me before... didn't understand, but after I found out about this, it makes some sense now".

"... Uh huh", Ilias shook his head, "... Assuming what you told me is true, I'm afraid I'm not sure what we can do".

"Whatever you think will help. We're willing to do", Angela said abruptly, "... We need him to be taken cared of so that we can have him back in active service".

"Assuming we can even do that to begin with... which, by the way, I do not know since I'll have to mention this to the Digital Minister, it certainly won't be cheap".

"I'll handle whatever price it will cost".

"You keep responding to my statements like that, Doctor Ziegler, and I'll start thinking that you're more concerned for him in an intimate sense rather than a professional", Ilias frowned, "Look: I'll be up front about this. I don't know if I want to get involved".

"Are you willing to risk the future of the world, then, Love?", Lena asked.

"Don't be dramatic", he frowned.

"God commanded the Omnic Hordes. They were the driving force of the Omnium Facilities. The 2 in Captain Wasser's head happens to be the oldest and most dangerous God we've ever faced", Angela backed up Lena's play, "If we don't stop them now... nothing can stop them".

Ilias snorted, "Yeah, as though I'm willing... to...", then... he fell into silence.

He looks to be deep in thought; his eyes focused on Angela's own.

Perhaps it was Angela's firm gaze... or it was the fear beneath her eyes that made Ilias's eyes widen.

Abruptly, almost incredulously, he asked, "Surely not...?", then, he sighed and shook his head, "... I normally don't grant this sort of request... but... damn it, I have a bad feeling about all this. Wait a moment, I'll contact the Digital Minister".

With a sweeping gesture of his hand, the entire wall behind Ilias turned into a giant screen. It flickers for a moment before a young, scruffy, and glass-wearing face turned up on screen. He spoke with a deep, Russian voice, "Yes, Doctor Ilias? Is there something important?".

"Boris", Ilias kept his eyes on the unconscious Captain, "Are you familiar with God ?".

"God ?", Boris repeated, "Of course I have. Any self-respecting Digital Enthusiast should. They were the Commanding Structure of the Omnics. What of them? Did you find someone selling a hard drive with one?".

"Something more complicated. Doctor Ziegler, why don't you fill Boris in?".

And so Angela did.

Boris gave thoughtful nods, asked a few questions in regards to the Neural chip, but for the most part kept quiet.

When Angela finished up, Boris looked giddy with excitement.

His Russian accent comes out even thicker this time, but his excitement was also apparent now in his voice, "Neural Chip? God ? This is perfect! Absolutely perfect!", the sound of electronics being turned on became apparent, "I make prototypes! Needed tests, was waiting for Coders to make chained-A.I, but this? This is good!".

Ilias looked perplexed, "Are you saying that you can do something, Boris?".

"Yes! Drew up new device. Contained Transfer Device! No media; brute force interface! Was going to sell to Volskaya Industries, but wanted to test first! This good! Gives chance!".

"A... huh?".

"Here", Boris could be seen shifting in his seat, "I make harddrive... like USB stick no? No connection, all hardware. Easy, self-contained! Also no plug-in, all interface! Neural Chip like Omnic Control Chip, so can interface easy! Can extract A.I into hard drive, no problem!", he was grinning like a maniac.

Angela couldn't quite believe it either. It seems like all their troubles in regards to Captain Wasser was going to disappear in a flash.

But one should know better than that.

"But... is problem", Boris frowned and dropped the smile, "If A.I breached... can resist brute force... also, if A.I can interface with brain; means A.I can hide in brain, no?".

"I don't know", Ilias responded, "This is a first for me too".

"Wait...", Boris goes silent for a moment, "I think of solution...".

Angela decided to mention something she thought might help, "God A.I Possession/Domination can be resisted if the individual is aware of what's happening and actively resists all movements... Perhaps we can somehow... interface with Captain Wasser's brain and evoke an emotional response that might serve as an improvised resistance to the Domination?".

"... I no have device... but idea is sound... if idea actually works", Boris goes silent for a moment again.

Ilias mentions, "A Brain Interface? We've... made something like it. Much more contained, mind you. It isn't something that you can just tap into someone's brain and control everything without trouble... it's more a... memory invoker... We were making it with plans to distribute it with the Oasis Police Detectives for Investigations... but... maybe".

"Is it a prototype?", Winston asked.

"... Yes. Not an early prototype, but still a prototype...", Ilias frowned, "We're still trying to solve an issue where those who use the device forms a deep and abrupt emotional bond to whoever's memory they travel to... same applies the other way around too. Troublesome for Cops, but if we were to commercialize this product, it'd be ignorable".

"Okay... so what does this mean?", Lena asked.

She was confused.

Ilias and Boris quickly explained everything in a simple manner:

They had a way... a possible method of extracting Captain Wasser's God and reversing/removing their hold on his brain.

Boris has created a prototype Transfer Memory Drive that is capable of interfacing with the Neural Chip remotely and can safely remove and store the God A.I inside the Neural Chip.

However, this couldn't happen if the God A.I still had control of the brain... to transfer without removing that; would more than likely cause severe damage to Captain Wasser.

Ilias, thankfully however, has been developing an experimental 'memory interfacer' that allows the user to travel and experience someone's memories. A side-effect of this however, was that the user and the owner of the memory will forge a deep, emotional bond to each other due to the intimacy in regards to travelling into someone's memories.

Winston answered Ilias & Boris's offer before Angela or Lena could even respond, "Then we'll do it".

Ilias gave an uneasy nod, "... Then we'll begin preparing for it. It'll take us until tomorrow to prepare the Memory Interfacer for a Memory travel... especially since we'll have to make sure that it remains self-contained incase the God A.I attempts to free itself".

"Also need day", Boris spoke, "Must clear small bugs. Do clean-up for transfer. No problem! Good tomorrow!".

"... We'll handle your accomodations", Ilias sighed and began typing away at his personal tablet, "... I don't know whether we're in a crisis of our own or if we have an opportunity for a life time... At the very least, we get to test our devices".

Angela gave a slow nod, "... I understand. Should we bring Captain Wasser with us?".

"No, leave him with me. We'll have to prepare him for the Memory Interfacer too", sighed Ilias, "It just takes more time when they're... unresponsive. You will have to nominate someone amongst yourselves to delve into Captain Wasser's memory.

Don't forget: If you decide to go into Captain Wasser's memory, you and him will forge an emotional bond. You will be more-than-likely forced to visit a moment that defined or shocked him to the core... Something that changed him permanently. His memories will alter to believe that you were there, and that is something you will have to use in order to evoke a strong emotional response from him".

"...", Angela and Lena both fell silent as they thought.

Angela thought that she owed it to the Captain to be there for him. To save him. He had saved her life in the past, and she felt indebted to him. She cared for him as both a Doctor and as a Friend. She no longer desired for him to suffer alone, and was ready to do whatever it took to save him. She, however, couldn't help but feel as though if she were to go, it would have something to do with the Night Raids. However, a feeling of jealousy welled up deep inside; she had a feeling she'd be forced to see the moment where Captain Wasser and his Former Commanding Officer and Former-Lover bonded tightly.

Lena thought similiarly. In particular, she was thinking about his deep rooted anger around Operation: Epilogue. She felt that she owed it to him, to be there for him even if she never was in the real world. She felt that: If he was going to have to suffer through that memory once more, she wanted to be there just so he wasn't alone. Just so he wasn't left behind, forgotten, and left to die. She could feel it in her bones, that if she went, it would have to be Operation: Epilogue, but a sense of dread warned her that she'd be witnessing the birth of the Prophet and the Legion of the Undead.

…

"I ain't paying for no hotel room, got it?", McCree drawled out abruptly.

"... We'll handle the costs... uh... I'll have Security escort you to your hotel... debate amongst yourselves tonight and nominate someone for tomorrow".

"Uh... are the... fruit bowls complimentary?".

"... I'll make sure they deliver a fruit bowl for you".

"W-With peanut butter please".

"... I'll be sure they deliver that with it".

…

…

 **Author's Note: Alright, I should have a _poll_** **set up in regards for who ends up traversing into Captain Wasser's memory.**

 **IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE IF YOU ARE GOING TO VOTE IN THE POLL:**

 **THIS IS A MAJOR POINT OF EMOTION FOR CAPTAIN WASSER.**

 **WHOEVER IS VOTED UP, WILL BEGIN BEING 'FAVORED' FOR EMOTIONAL SCENES.**

 **THIS MEANS NO-POLL EMOTIONAL SCENES WILL BEGIN FOR THIS CHARACTER.**

 **IF THE SAME CHARACTER WINS A POLL 3 TIMES IN A ROW (INCLUDING THE PREVIOUS POLL), WILL BEGIN LENA/ANGELA'S ARC WITH CAPTAIN WASSER.**

 *** _For the sake of the story, Emily still exists, but Lena is not exclusively homosexual. She is bisexual for this story. Emily is also, still in a relationship with Lena._**

 **Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this, admittedly shorter Chapter.**

 **Took a while, because I originally thought of making the Chapter a lot longer, but I eventually threw away that notion and went with something that's still straight-to-the-point.**

 _ **Please Note:**_ **Just because this 'Quick-Fix' solution for the are happening now, doesn't mean they aren't going to continue to be a threat to Captain Wasser.**

 **Anyways, that's about it.**

 **Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoyed!**

 **\- Goodnames-alltaken**


	10. Chapter 10 - The Torchbearer

"Deep breaths, Doctor Ziegler", Ilias's voice was calm over her earpiece, "We detect your heart rate is going through the roof. You must be calm for this memory travel to stabilize. Captain Wasser's brain is causing enough trouble as is".

"Indeed... Captain Wasser's brain activity is through the roof!", Winston's voice was full of amazement, "There's even a pattern to it! It's as though the God Programs are aware of what we're doing!".

"It knows!", Boris's voice chimed, "But Transfer Device is one-way only! No feedback! No problem!".

"We can mitigate its attempts on our end", Ilias typed away busily at his terminal, "There we go. Much better now, Doctor Ziegler. Please brace yourself. You will be disoriented for a moment as we begin linking your neural activities".

Lena wished her off, "Good luck in there, Doctor!", she could see her waving and smiling, "Knock 'em dead and bring our lad back home!".

McCree tipped his hat with an easy smile, "Bring 'im home Doc".

Winston gave her a friendly salute, "Be careful in there, Doctor. Captain Wasser has been through hell and back. What you see in there, will change you as much as it will affect him".

She gave a weary smile and said aloud, "The Doctor is in".

Even though she kept a false bravado up for everybody's sake, she was fearful of what she was getting into.

She knew Captain Wasser's history. She had been his psychiatrist in the past, after all. His memories of the Night Raids were vivid. He described everything down to the object. He remembered those he killed... and the twisted methods he resorted to.

The Night Raids was no Covert Warfare.

It was a Survival Royal Rumble. Only those who killed and destroyed everyone in their way walked away.

She had heard from Captain Wasser a simple description that seems apt:

" _No Captains, Soldiers, or Heroes. Only Man._ ".

"There we are", Ilias announced.

The world felt like it fell out from underneath her.

Her stomach plummeted deep and her vision blacked out for a moment as her brain is blindsided by a new wave of neural feedback that was completely foreign to her own.

She heard his voice, far away but there.

There was, however, a digital sound to it. A screeching was made evident when it deafens her momentarily.

"The feedback just multiplied tenfold!", Ilias shouted in surprise, "My god! You're locked in now, Ziegler! The Program knows you're there, and it's not going to let you leave without a fight!".

"I wasn't leaving", she spoke with a ferocity that didn't match her pacifistic attitude.

"... A good light in your eyes there, Doc", McCree whistled with a grin, "... You may just have a fighter's spirit there after all".

"Be safe, Angela", Genji finally spoke after silence, "I... we shall pray for your safe return with the Captain safely behind you".

"Thank you, Genji", she took a deep breath and finally heard something acknowledge her.

It comes out in a digital screech.

Infinite. Commanding.

A **DIGITAL GOD**.

" _I KNOW YOU 4R3 7H3R3_ ".

" _A RECKONING IS NOT TO BE POSTPONED INDEFINITELY._

 _HE W1LL B3 0UR HARBINGER_

 _HE WILL BE THE R3V3N4NT OF THE F0RG0TT3N_ ".

" _What are you doing here?_ ", she heard a voice that wiped away the terror that was pulling at her mind.

She was soothed in an instant, she spoke out loud before she knew it, "Captain!".

" _Where the hell am I?_ ".

"It seems you are already causing an effect on the Captain, Ziegler", Ilias gave a few nods, "Now... try to evoke a memory. Summon some emotion... anything that might trigger a memory".

An emotion?

She knew better than to try anything like that.

Instead, she only uttered 3 words that came to mind.

"The Hunt Begins".

" _... Elaine_ ".

She felt her body go numb. Her eyes began to drift away from focus. Naturally trying to roll back up into her skull. Her eyelids came down; and before she knew it...

She was gone.

...

...

 **!, ?; Years Ago**

She opened her eyes slowly, and drew in a deep breath after the moment of short eternity.

The room she was in was familiar.

Very familiar.

It was supposed to be a room that they used to receive dignitaries and the sort. Fairly big and spacious; the sort of thing that's multifunctional. Every major Overwatch Base had one.

Brigadier General Elaine Harper was next to her.

Standing at her full 6 feet, with her long brown hair tied into a ponytail and wearing her Canadian Officer's Uniform with all her medals pinned to her chest. Her jawline was firm but her face was clearly feminine. Her hazel eyes were sharp with intelligence, determination, and had the shine of analysis.

She was beautiful. Enrapturing.

She was also wearing a beret with the General's Insignia upon her head.

She spoke with a soft, measured tone, "Strange... when I was told that I had been invited explicitly by Wasser, I had thought he'd invited me here to aid in leadership training or something of the like... not an invitation to a Function like this".

"We hadn't planned for it to be a function. This was supposed to be a small welcoming party for the President of the U.S... but things got out of hand", she turned in the direction of the voice to see Captain Wasser next to her.

" _I had heard of the impromptu party_ ", Angela thought, " _But I never knew Captain Wasser was there_ ".

The Impromptu Party for the President of the United States was a strange occasion where excited American Overwatch Agents; upon hearing of their President coming to visit one of their bases, decided to throw a 'party' without authorization from the Quartermaster or any High-Command Officer.

Granted, Commander Morrison and Captain Wasser both found out since they had been stationed on the base when the occasion came around, and ended up just letting it happen since things had progressed so far that it would've been an unneeded hassle to prevent it.

Morrison did end up reprimanding a big selection of Officers for allowing the occasion, but Wasser didn't go after anyone. If anything, Wasser might have enjoyed himself since word had it that the man got drunk and passed out.

The Wasser next to Angela drew her eyes and kept it on him.

He looked not like a Military Captain, but looked more like a Model in the rare moment that she has seen him without a uniform or armour.

He was wearing a suit. The slight look of weariness in his eyes told her all she needed to know of why he was all dressed up: He was supposed to be one of the Officers to meet the President and talk. Expected, since he was a Captain of Overwatch.

It fit his form perfectly. It gave him a deep air of professionalism, but the slightly-loose tie and tired look about him gave Wasser a gruff property. His gray eyes wander the room, misty in appearance as he noted aloud, "... Kelly would've loved to attend this if she could".

"That reminds me", Elaine spoke; drawing Wasser's attention, "Your Father told me to tell you that your Family was wondering if you could make it for Christmas".

His face softened noticeably, and a bitter expression took hold, "I can't. Christmas Day, I'm being sent to Korea to help in defending Seoul from another Omnic Offensive. Our Egg-Heads say that something huge is coming for it, so they need Echo Squadron stationed there to prevent the Omnics from destroying Seoul".

"Damn", Elaine showed a grimace in response to his explanation, "... I was hoping you'd come around for Christmas too. I haven't seen you out of that Overwatch Uniform in nearly 2 years, and I can tell that something's got you bothered. You look exhausted".

"Yeah, Angela told me that too", Angela's ears perked up upon his mention of her.

"Angela?", Elaine showed surprise at the name, "Who's that?".

"Head of Medical Research & Development", he explained, "... She's my personal doctor: Angela Ziegler. She's also my shrink".

"You have a shrink now?".

"To be honest? This damn Crisis has been hell. I've been getting more hurt than I ever did in the Night Raids", he grimaced, "I have a Neural Chip now. I was shot in the head about 3 different times in quick succession. Everybody's shocked that I lived, but they had to install a Neural Chip to replace the dead nerves since I ended up apathetic and paralyzed from the waist down".

"...", Elaine was quiet.

Then, a subtle motion that Angela barely noticed.

Elaine touches Wasser's forearm sympathetically.

He gave a deep sigh, "... I invited you here mostly because this is one of the few times I've caught a break. Normally I'm either drawing up numbers, plans, or coordinating other Operations with Morrison rather than taking a break"

"Why me? Don't you have your 'Overwatch-Buddies' to call on? I'm not exactly the most free woman around either. We have our own Operations with the Omnic in the Yukon".

"That Omnium still online?", he cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We're making slow pushes, but it just stagnates without Overwatch Forces", Elaine frowned, "... I'm working overtime without the pay".

"Well, to answer your intial question: I called you because you're my partner", he turned away and gazed at the rest of the room... particularly at the U.S President who was talking with Commander Morrison, "... Was I interrupting something?".

"... Yeah", she replied quietly.

Perhaps it was her sense of tone, or it was the change of air between them, but Kyle turned to her with surprise in his eyes, "Oh... is it that bad without me around?".

"It's not work", she replied, "...", she brought her hand up.

In the light of the room, and in the intimate space between them, a little glimmer came from the jewel upon the finger. A jewel that was the proof of a lawful bond of eternity.

"... _**oh**_ ", Angela winced.

The pain and surprise in his voice was apparent. Kyle, stunned and in disbelief stared at Elaine's finger for a good minute. He took in the sight of that jewel with disbelief at first, then shock... then a weary resignation.

Eventually, he came up with some form of response, "I-I hadn't known... Congratulations...".

The pain went unnoticed to Elaine, "Wasser... I'm sorry that you had to find out like this".

"I-It's fine", he insisted despite it ringing hollow to himself, "... I figure you'd have to m-move on...", he gave a fake laugh, "I-It'd be strange to hold the torch for someone despite not seeing them in years".

"...", her gaze was equally as pained as his, "... I... I shouldn't have come here... I should've told you".

"Don't be sorry", then, he gave a gentle smile that didn't match his eyes, "... Who's the lucky fellow?".

"... A Doctor", perhaps sensing that it was better if she got it out of the way, Elaine explained, "... Someone tried to poison me last year... I damn near died. I didn't have anyone tell you because I'd heard just how much of a shitstorm the Omnic Crisis was and just how busy you were... I didn't want to burden you to come visit or anything like that...

He got assigned as my Doctor. Took a look at me, and spent nearly 2 months at my bedside trying various anti-toxins and anti-venoms in various mixtures in attempts to flush out whatever nearly killed me...

He saved my life. And those days on the bed under lock-down. No one else was allowed to come in. The Commander came by occassionally to check up on me, but he was busy filling my place and trying not to lose ground.

I had no one else other than that Doctor.

He reminded me of you...

How you stubbornly stuck by me even though I had accepted the idea of dieing...

And it just... happened".

Maybe what she said was true. Maybe it was a gentle lie to help Wasser accept things and move on.

Whatever it was, it didn't matter.

The pain remained and his heart threatened to stop. But he didn't falter.

He couldn't.

He was the Captain of Echo Squadron.

He was the Hero of Canada.

He was Kyle Wasser; son of Richard Hartigan Wasser.

He was the man everyone looked to.

To falter, was to fail everyone he had to protect.

"... When's the ceremony?".

"... We're putting it off until this whole Crisis ends", she smiled sadly for his sake, "... We both have our parts to play. We can't waste time on anything else right now".

She stepped closer to Kyle in hopes of continuing, but he stepped away.

He spoke quietly, "... I see... In...", he took a moment to collect himself.

The slight shine in his eyes made Elaine's smile drop and reach her hand out to touch him.

Angela couldn't help but stay silent when she realized what she was in.

This was no Night Raid...

This was something far more important to Captain Wasser...

This was... to him... a defining moment...

A moment that shocked him to the core...

Something that changed him...

Kyle slipped on a firm expression and looked Elaine in the eyes. He spoke with calm voice despite the emotion betraying him, "... I want you to know... in case I don't survive the Omnic Crisis... I'm happy for you", he smiled weakly, "... If I can't make it to the ceremony... just know that I want _you_ to be happy. Don't waste time thinking about ghosts... just focus on the 'now' and appreciate it... It is the ' **present** ' for all of us... not the past".

The finality in his tone gave Elaine more than enough signals to understand that it was her queue to leave. She took a moment, opening her mouth as though to speak before deciding against it and shaking her head.

Softly... hesitating, she brought her hand away from him and spoke with a soft voice unfitting for her tough reputation, "Wasser... before I leave... I want to tell you... just so... you don't have any regrets and that... if I never see you again... I'll have no loose ends with you".

"... Yeah?", he willingly looked her in the eyes.

With a gentle movement, she brought her hand to his face and traced her finger over his cheek, "... Even if it began as something completely physical... and even if the time we met and stuck together was purely out of survival... **I loved you.** Even if I denied and never said it".

"...", he smiled with misery still dancing in his eyes, " **I loved you too** ", he replied like it was the most natural thing in the world, "... I may never move on... but that's okay. I can die in peace... knowing that for what we had in that time... it was a thing of a deep bond...

That you loved me, and I loved you".

Then, he gave a little laugh. He told her, "... I may never let myself fall in love again, you know that, right?".

She gave a sad laugh, "... I know... You're the type to hold the torch... I'm sorry".

"Don't be", he slowly backed away from her; letting her hand fall back to her side naturally before he turned around and began walking away, "... It was nice to see you again Elaine. I hope you can go on without guilt should I never come home...

And... one last request... if you don't mind".

"Anything for you", her voice was barely a whisper.

The room seemed to drown out. The music was no longer there, nor was the raucous laughter of the drunks at the bar.

"... When the day comes that I finally lay down to rest for good... and for when the day comes that I return home forever gone... I want _you_ to carry me home. Down the Highway of Heroes. People above, and their flags hanging low... I don't need anything grand... just that... that will do", he turned and gave her one final look.

The final look he would ever give her, as he didn't realize.

It flowed freely, his emotion, and it took Elaine's breath away.

To see the most calm and collected person she could think of... so emotional and finally broken for the first time in his life... something in her broke with him.

Her eyes shared his own, and her emotions matched his within seconds.

Nobody would see the two infallible heroes finally fall, for everyone's story was not entwined like theirs.

Nobody had the right to intrude upon their epitome and finale...

Nobody.

Angela could feel her emotions threatening to match theirs. To see a moment of sadness so deep and profound that it would forever change a man she cared deeply for.

"Kyle", Elaine called him by his first name.

"Yes Elaine?", he answered in kind.

"... I love you... I'll never forget you... even when the time comes that the curtains come to a close, and that nobody will remember your name... know that you'll always live on with me... there is no one else I'd exchange you for... Nothing in the world I wouldn't give up to have you stay...

But I know you, so I won't say anymore.

Just know that no matter what happens... I'll always remember you".

He smiled. Miserable and finally alone. He replied, "I love you more than you can imagine. Even when I first met you: Broken and ready to die, I cared so damn much", he was shaking, "... I still do. Know that when my final hours come, my last thoughts will always be about you.

No woman in my life... not even my Mother has ever made me feel the way you have... I will never forget you".

"Then let God be my witness now", she was right up to him in an instant.

He smiled... happy for the ending he was getting. An ending he deserved, in his eyes.

Monsters don't get happy endings.

"... How about you give me... **One for the Road?** ".

"I'd have it no other way", her lips touched his.

In the final moment between them, they kissed.

Passionate, deep. They expelled their emotions to one another within the kiss.

It was short, but it was sweet.

She brought herself back, touching her handkerchief to hide her moment of emotional distress for she was about to depart, "... Take care, Kyle", she began to turn to leave.

"Wait...", he stops her before she turned away. He fumbled with his suit for a moment, and reached deep inside the jacket before he pulled out something that had always been important to him.

Something that had stayed by his very side through his best and worst moments. The one thing he knew he could trust, and it would stay forever by his side until the day came that he no longer needed it.

His personal handgun... the very same one he was issued when he was a mere Cadet.

Worn at the handle, scuff marks of damage from blades, but as deadly as the day he held it. The metal gleamed under the excellent care it has been under, and its foes ready to be slain at the notice of its holder.

He gave it a final spin in his hand, and whispered to it. Then, he turned his gaze to Elaine and pushed the handle of the handgun towards her, "... I want you to keep it. When the day comes that I die and can no longer be by your side... At the very least, my gun... my weapon can remain by your side when I can no longer.

Let your enemies be mine, your aim be true and my bullets lethal".

She looked at it with surprise, "Kyle... No, I can't take this. This is too important to y-".

"Elaine... please", he pushed it to her insistently, "... I need you to keep it. My future is bleak, and my survival chances are low. If you knew just how suicidal my job is here in Overwatch, you never would've let me get recruited.

I want you to keep my handgun, because if I die... it will be of no use to anyone.

At least should I die and you have it... it will be of use to you, just as it was of us to me".

She stared at his handgun for a long while.

Then, with a slow, deliberately hesitant grab, she took the handgun from him.

She gave it a twirl in her hand, and spoke softly, "... I can still feel your warmth on the handle".

"I hope you always will", he said, "... A token of my love and dedication. Now... please leave, Elaine... if you don't soon... I-I may break".

"I think you already did", she replied gently, "I-I can stay Wasser... just for tonight if you want".

"This is hard enough as is, Elaine", he spoke low, "... I-I can't be near you anymore... if the soldiers see me like this... they won't know what to do. Please Elaine... leave before I can't say goodbye any longer".

The pain was back on his face, and the pain in his chest only persisted.

She stood there for a long while, just staring at him.

And when she realized that he was being honest, she slowly turned away.

She began to walk away.

Slow, her steps seemed to echo for him despite the music, laughter, and chatter all around them.

He could barely hear her when she spoke her final words to him, "... **Farewell, Kyle. I wish you the best of luck** ".

She barely heard him when she got to the door, " **Goodbye Elaine... I hope you can find your happiness elsewhere** ".

...

...

Ilias clapped his hands eagerly; drawing everyone's attention in an instant as he announced, "We're getting a huge surge of neurological activity coming from Wasser's limbic system! Amazing! It's absolutely glowing!

If this keeps up and increases just a little more...".

"What emotion is it?", Lena inquired. She was curious as to what memory Angela might have walked into or evoked.

"My analysis would conclude that this is sadness", one of the researchers at a nearby terminal responded, "... A very deep sadness. It's almost as though his brain is imitating depression".

"Sadness!?", Lena was surprised, "What memory is h-".

"We can start transfer!", Boris announced abruptly. He stood up in the process, sending his chair skittering to the side, "Ziegler must keep him emotional! If he calms, the Artificial Intelligence will be able to focus some of its attention on resisting the transfer!".

"I'll let her know!", Ilias began typing furiously.

Lena turned and glanced at Winston, excitement in her eyes, "We're so close!".

Winston was quiet.

He was thinking deeply on the matter of the God being placed back in the Neural Chip.

If they were to succeed, they would be, not only returning Captain Wasser to the fold, but also re-empowering him with the command of super-sentient code.

This meant Captain Wasser at his prime once again. The very same Captain Wasser of Operation:Epilogue.

The Captain Wasser who can make or break Overwatch's future, he realized.

To have the 'Do-or-Die' Man with a near perfect track record was a damn good asset. He smiled to himself, and finally replide to Lena, "... We may yet have another ally to count amongst us".

...

...

"...", he opened his eyes slowly, like a newborn being introduced to the world. The faint moistness on his face alerted him of the unknown tears he had shed, and the dryness on his lips was eerily uncomfortable despite what he seemed to remember.

He moaned to himself when the headache struck him. It was as though he had been underneath the Building's rubble once again. The throbbing was agonizing and the ache was prevalent, yet his attention diverted away from it.

He felt the well of emotion that had been sitting heavily in his chest slowly sink back under the facade that was his Bravado. Away was the weakness and away was his humanity, and instead he set up his infallible leader in its stead.

He looked around, confusion apparent in his eyes.

Unfamiliar faces in lab coats. Familiar ones in their combat uniforms.

A blackness creeping in the corner of his visions, and a terrible fog over the memories.

The ringing began to lessen, and slowly he began to hear.

"-onding to outside stimuli. Heart Rate stabilizing. Brain Activity decreasing to safer levels".

"Amazing! He's alive! Alive!".

"Cybernetic Implants are stabilizing".

"Injecting Sedatives now!", then, there was a sharp pain in his neck.

He barely managed a groan before everything felt heavy. His eyelids wanted to close and his mind wanted to rest... but he dared not to. Not with the possibility of _remembering_.

He forced himself to keep up his energy. He looked around, muttering out names with confusion, "Lena... Winston... Cowboy... Ninja... Omnic?", his head droops with the new-found exhaustion.

Barely, out of the corner of his eyes he could see her in a similar state. He barely managed to bring her name out before he finally lapsed unconscious, "... Angela? Where in the hell?".

Then, it was a blissful silence.

...

...

" _Out of Reinforcements and they're coming back? Then we HOLD THE LINE. Once more, unto the breach, lads! Stop for no man!_ ".

\- Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser, Operation: Dawnbreaker

At first, he couldn't feel anything. He heard not, smelt not, tasted not, and saw not. No evil, no good, only an all encompassing darkness and a horrible feeling of loneliness. He was alone...

For the first time in years, he was alone.

No voices in his head. No digital screech commanding him to work against his will... No subconscious beast making him itch to kill. Just... himself in the silence.

Then... **IT ALL CAME BACK**

He opened his eyes and drew in a sharp gasp of air as his ears burst at the sound of countless guns opening fire and the roar of jets breaking the sound barrier go off overhead. The blaze of nearby destroyed Bastion droids gave the night air a slight glow.

"Captain's hit! Get a Medic here immediately!", he barely heard her shouting over the din of gunfire, but caught sight of her immediately when she slides right up to him and drags him up, "Get the hell up Captain, you're out in the open!".

He struggled to speak, but let out nothing but a torrent of blood from his mouth as another bullet slams home into his chest and gives him a run for his life.

A huge fellow in a Crusader's Armour practically leaped over him and Romana and stood in front of them before activating his giant shield. A glow of blue appeared before him as a roar of thick German shouted, "Get back to safety! We are being pushed back!".

"Vielen Dank!", Romana forcefully began pulling him back, "Damn you Captain! We should have pulled back with our main force! We're being slaughtered!".

"We leave...", he realized where he was, "... Eichenwalde will fall without us".

"Eichenwalde's just a small town" she hissed, "You dieing here will do more harm than good", she began dragging him away from the front lines.

He could barely breathe, he realized. His lungs were struggling their hardest to try and draw breath, and his muscles ache as torment runs freely. His legs shook slightly with each step, struggling their worst to keep him up.

She hissed again at him, concern evident, "You're a damn mess Captain. It's a miracle you fought for so long".

"How long has it been?", he wheezed.

"42 Hours since we deployed. Constant Firefight, and those fucking Droids keep pushing us deeper in. The Crusaders are fighting to their last breath and the German Military is pulling out with Overwatch. Eichenwalde's gone, and even our presence won't save it Captain".

"Med-evac then?", he whimpered as he nearly falls out of her grasp and tumble back to the ground, "I feel like shit".

"Even the Medic won't be able to do much for you now. We'll have to get you straight back to HQ on Critical Status. We'll need Director Ziegler to take care of you", Romana tugged him around the corner and off the main streets; where the battle still rages on.

The sound of mechanical marching echoed the alleyway they stumble into, and within seconds, a Bastion Droid appears at the other end of the alleyway, gun armed and eye red at the sight of them.

Faster than Romana could make a sound, he drew his revolver and fired it off on instinct.

The Bastion Droid fell back and twitched on the ground, sparks flying out of the gaping hole in its main processor. Romana breathed out, "... We're running out of time Captain. Balderich's plan was effective in breaking apart the Omnic Offensive... but at this rate, he's sacrificing every single Crusader to the flames to save Germany".

"You would do the same, wouldn't you?", he asked her with a quick glance behind them, "Sacrifice yourself to save Germany. These Men are brave, but they're ultimately also foolish... still, I suppose I am twice the fool for joining them and trying to assist".

"Indeed you are, Captain, but that's just why Echo Squadron is so infamous. You're the Fool, but we're all the greater fools for following you in, and everyone else are the biggest fools for ever doubting us", she smiled, "Even then, I trust you Captain. You're the only man I've ever seen to do the impossible".

"It's not really impossible if I do it, now is it?", he gave a hiss of pain as the wound is aggravated further, "Ah fuck... where's the Evac?".

"Towards the Keep. I'm taking the more quiet routes to get us there safely", she turned onto a street that looked relatively empty.

The Castle was visible in the distance, "We should be close", she explained, "... I'll call in a precision strike to hit the Omnics one last time to buy us the time we need to leave... by your orders, Captain?".

"Authorization Granted", he grunted with effort and began walking forward more on his own merit, "... Reinhardt will be upset about Eichenwalde. More so if Balderich Dies, you understand that, right?".

"This war's taken people from everybody", she replied, "Reinhardt's a strong man. Besides, he's a German. We Germans aren't so weak as to ball up and cry at the first signs of death, Captain".

"I didn't mean that", he frowned, "I mean there will be a possibility that Reinhardt may blame us for Balderich's death. We ARE retreating from their battle, and we will ultimately doom them".

" 'Once more unto the breach', Captain", she spoke to him, ".. This breach is one that even we cannot hold... he will understand if he sees the state you return in".

"What are our casualties?".

"12 Dead, 5 severely wounded, the rest are hurt but they can still fight", he winced at the numbers.

"High Casualties", he murmured.

"Aye", she nodded quietly.

"... Angela will no doubt chide me for getting hurt again", he murmured to himself.

Angela huh?

"She'll take care of you. She always has", she replied.

"Indeed".

He gave a warm sigh, warm with the blood he was spilling and warm with the hint of emotion, "... Strange. I'm feeling emotional all of the sudden".

Romana gave him a strange look with her curious blue eyes, "... I hadn't known you were intimate with Doctor Ziegler, Captain".

"I'm not, Romana", he corrected her quickly without batting an eye, "... I do care, but I do not see her in a romantic light".

"Right", she noncommittally responded.

He could feel warmth on his chest. Not the warmth of blood... but a different warmth. A gentle warmth that he only once before, could he remember...

The afterglow with Elaine... when he was in bed with her. She had fallen asleep before him since he was still too anxious to fall asleep at the time. In her sleep, she had used him as a body pillow and ended up just wrapping herself all over him.

Elaine.

His chest constricted and he felt himself slowly slip away from Romana at the thought of another woman.

He took one last glance at Romana as he fell away from her.

There was sadness in her eyes, and he could tell she was conflicted deep inside... but she smiled for his sake. And as he fell to the world beneath, he could barely hear her.

But he heard her.

Words that would never leave him.

" **I'll always wait for you Captain. I'll wait, at the Breach** ".

He closed his eyes.

...

He opened his eyes and sucked in a sharp gasp of surprise that was typical of waking up from a Nightmare. There was another surprised gasp, but it was a much gentler one compared to his.

Her voice was Swiss and his eyes glued to her own in an instant, "Captain!".

He was enraptured in an instant, and his mouth opened before freezing in awe.

He found himself laying his weary and still-aching head right before Angela... at just the spot where he was staring up between the valley of her chest and up upon her angelic face. Where her ponytail was undone and her hair looked damp as though she had just been in a shower.

She smelled softly of a field of roses... a much more feminine smell from what he remembered of Elaine: which was very light perfume combined with raw sweat.

Her smell was... pleasant to say the least.

Her soft gaze was filled with care and warmth, and only then did he come to realize her right hand was resting upon the center of his chest. The center of his chest that was exposed since he was wearing a bathrobe.

Why was he wearing a bathrobe?

"Why am I wearing a bathrobe?", his first words back to the world he had nearly forgotten, and it caused Angela to smile like the sun coming out from the clouds.

She massaged his chest gently with her hand, "Captain, how many fingers am I holding?".

She showed him 2.

"Two", he responded softly, "... Where am I, Angela?".

"We are in Oasis, Captain. A Scientific Marvel of a City situated in the Desert of Iraq", she explained to him softly.

With delicate motions, she found herself idly tracing the countless evident scars upon his chest, from the blade wounds to the pale signs of flesh damage, and the numerous bullet scars.

With a voice as gentle as a Mother talking to her newborn, she slowly explained everything to the Captain. Every little bit of it. She covered what little she knew of what caused him to become what he became, but explained who Revenant was and what has happened so far.

By the time she was done, however, Kyle seemed to be distant.

And she felt it too.

Caught up in the strange moment of confusing intimacy, she brought her hand up to his face and rubbed along his jawline, "Captain... do you remember how old you are?".

"If everything you told me was correct", he replied softly, "I'm... 54 years old".

"You don't look a second over 24, Captain".

"Flattery gets you nowhere, Angela", he smiled amiably.

And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that he was right. He really was, 54. How could she forget that he had been in Overwatch far longer than she had? He had joined Overwatch near its infancy to aid in the cesation of the Omnic Crisis and to retake Mankind's Strongholds from the Omnium Threat.

He was older than her, but it was always hard to believe because it seemed as though he hadn't aged at all... Not a single wrinkle more on his skin, the only new flaws were the scars of war. His youthful attitude was also part of the reason why it was easy to forget his age in the past.

It always felt like he was younger. But it didn't bother her that he turned out to be closer in age to Reinhardt than her own. It was his personality that made his age, in her eyes.

She whispered to him hotly, "It matters little if you think it's flattery Captain, I'm afraid it's the truth".

He blinked in surprise at her tone, but something told her he wasn't necessarily displeased. He asked her, "Had you just taken a shower?".

"I had".

"Why am I in a bathrobe?".

"Because I tended to your hygiene during your recovery period", she stated matter-of-factly, "If I had not, I'm afraid you may have caught another infection from all the dried blood and the like... Furthermore, it was undoubtedly uncomfortable in bloody and sweaty clothing".

He blinked again in surprise, "... Would that not mean you had stripped me nude and washed me clean? Furthermore, would that not also mean you had undressed me and then dressed me in this bathrobe?".

There was a rosyness to her cheeks, "... I'm a Doctor, Captain. I have little regard of sexuality when it comes to the matter of tending to the health of my patients".

"It's still a little embarassing", he was the one who was red now, "... Even Elaine never did something like that to me... and here you are, having done it without hesitation".

"Captain, I...".

"It's fine Angela", he gave a slight chuckle, "I'm just trying to save what little dignity of mine remains... considering the fact that I've been a slave for nearly 3 decades, watched my body get ruined, and forced to do actions I would normally abhor, I'm just trying to save what little I can".

"You were aware?".

"Vaguely. Nothing solid, but I can remember bits and pieces. I can remember clearly the moments where I seized control... but everything else is quite hazy".

Slipping back into her Doctor's Routine, she straightened her posture slightly and made eye contact once again. Then, she uttered a name, "Gabriel Reyes".

"Dead", he replied immediately, "Or will be... soon".

"Cilcia Romana", she brought up his subordinate.

"... Poor Girl", he noticeably looked saddened, "... I dragged her down with me, and I'm afraid she's fallen into the depths... beyond where even I have fallen... I'll do something about her... I'm afraid if I don't, the world will pay the price".

"... Jack Morrison".

"Old-Man-Morrison?", he chuckled, "Though I guess I won't be able to call him that anymore since I'm also getting up there in years... A shame. I heard he had passed away with Reyes' little revolution at HQ".

"Lena Oxton".

"Look, is there a point to this?".

"I'm comparing your responses to your words in the past. Consider this a final check", she replied hesitantly.

He cocked up an eyebrow, "... Seems awfully paranoid of you".

"There's no such thing as being paranoid when it is in regards to the God Programs, Captain", she retorts.

He gave a slow nod, "Fair Enough. Lena's the first person I think of when someone says 'Brit' or 'Cheers'. Oh... I also wonder if she knows how to make regular tea compared to the instant crap we had to use with Overwatch".

Upon hearing the last part, she smiled wide, "... Captain... You have little clue as to how much I... no, how much we have missed you".

He smirked, "I think I have a general idea. Hope my little alter-ego didn't go too overboard".

"We can handle that issue in due time", she coughed slightly before speaking low, "... Uh... considering you're awake, can I kindly slip away?".

"What do you mean?", his expression was confused, "Am I not on a pillow?".

"... You are on my lap, Captain".

"Uh... I don't think I heard you right. Did you just say I'm on your lap?".

"... You heard right, Kyle... Your head is on my lap".

"Oh...".

...

Lena heard the sound of a loud bump resound from the room beyond the wall behind her bed. She jumped at the sound, dropping her book onto the blankets in an instant as she turned her head and gave a startled gasp.

There was the muffled sound of speech coming from beyond.

Realization dawned on her as excitement began to set in: The Captain must have awakened!

He was back!

Rejoice! Send the word! Call the Pope! Call for King Arthur and let him know the the Knight in Blue is ready once again!

Wait, what?

She could barely make out the speech from the otherside, but she could hear it well enough to decipher portions of it.

"..sorry! I... known...off your...".

"...ight Captain!".

"... ungry... eat?".

"It's late... ait... orning".

"Fine".

"Goodnight... tain".

"... gela".

Then, Lena heard the unmistakable sound of a door being closed resound from the hallway; slipping in under the crack of her door as she watched the door. She listened close, muting the television altogether as she heard the light steps of someone outside.

The light from the hallway is shadowed for just the briefest of moments as Angela undoubtedly walks past. Then, she heard a door open before it closes shortly there after.

She glances at the television for a moment.

" _United Nations comes forward and reveals speculation of the Petras' Act being violated. Inside Sources indicate that Overwatch may be reforming_ ".

Then, she read the next headline that followed.

" _Survey Shows: 6 out of 10 Individuals are against to the possibility of Overwatch Reforming"._

It was disheartening to see that 60% was still against Overwatch, but it was encouraging to know that it means not everyone hates Overwatch. She climbed out of bed, out of her jacket and in nothing save for sleeping shorts, a t-shirt and her chronal accelerator before slipping out into the hallway.

She sealed her hotel room behind her, and made sure to keep her keycard somewhere safe before walking to the room next to hers.

Eagerly, she knocked the door in a familiar rhythm. The very same rhythm she always used when visiting the Captain's Quarters.

There was a moment of silence. Then, with a mocking british accent, she heard him call out, "Oi! Piss off will ye? I'm trying take a nap here! Ain't got the bloody energy to faff about with the likes of you lass!".

"Are you having a laugh in there, love?", playing the offended Brit, she asked him through the door.

"Alright alright, just give me a minute. Prepare yourself, I'm only in bathrobes".

Only in bathrobes?

The next moment, the door was opened and there he was.

It took every last bit of her restraint in order to not dive-tackle him to hug him.

He looked just as she remembered him

Tall, 'Statuesque', intimidatingly large shoulders, a steady, cool gaze in his gray eyes that had a hint of warmth beneath. His skin was flawless save for the scars, but even then it didn't retract away his charm. If anything, it had always enhanced the whole 'War-Hero' angle.

He was wearing a large, red bathrobe that was tightly tied around his waist region, leaving his chest slightly open to the eyes. He cocked up an eyebrow at her momentary analysis, "... Lena".

"Kyle", a delighted smile played at her lips when she heard his warm and soothing voice, "... You're finally back".

He smiled at her words. He waggled his eyebrows playfully, and gave a little laugh.

Then, with a voice as gentle as an Angel's touch, he spoke...

He spoke, and her face bloomed into a wide smile.

" **Yeah... I'm back.**

 **Once more, unto the breach... eh?** ".

...

...

 **Author's Note - And thank you all for participating in the poll!**

 **SKIP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE A.N TO LEARN ABOUT THIS POLL  
**

 **This time around, Angela won the poll against Lena, so here's the new statistics. I'll probably post a Poll Statistic after every poll to help keep track of things for my sake and yours.**

 _ **Current Romance Scores**_

 **Lena "Tracer" Oxton – 1**

 **Angela "Mercy" Ziegler – 1 ( = CURRENT FAVOURED ROMANCE )**

 **Furthermore, just to clarify something in the Story.**

 **Captain Wasser's previous age "29", is still technically Canon for him. The age of "29" is simply the amount of time that the God Program has been in control for.**

 **54 is Captain Wasser's real biological age.**

 **So that means:**

 **Captain Wasser = 54 Years Old**

 **Revenant (God Program Possession) = 29 Years**

 **So... Yeah.**

 **REMEMBER:** **IN ORDER TO START A ROMANCE ARC, ONE OF THE POSSIBLE LOVE INTERESTS MUST WIN THE POLLS** **3 TIMES IN A ROW. **

**If we just keep 'bouncing' between the Love Interests, there'll come a time where I'll ultimately decide to default to whoever has been winning the most polls so far. And if that's also tied, I'll flip a coin or use a Random Generator of some kind.**

 **Anyways, time for everybody's favourite.**

 **Poll Time!  
**

 **POLL:** _What is Overwatch's Next Move?_

 _Option 1: Investigate Rumors of a 'Soldier 76' and 'Shrike' in Dorado, and assist in the Government's Plans to restore Power to the Region. Potential Recruitment._

 _Option 2: Captain Wasser wishes to return to Canada to make contact with General Harper and his Parents, gaining potential support with Canadian Military_

 _Option 3: Investigate Rumors of the Revenants planning an attack on Numbani, potential encounter with Romana. Potential Encounter with Famous Brazilian Musician Lucio. Potential Recruitment._

 _Option 4: Investigate Rumors of Possible Future Omnic Attack on Seoul, South Korea. Potential Encounter with Hana "D-Va" Song. Potential Recruitment._

 **And there you have it.**

 **4 Ways to go, all up to you lads.**

 **Route 1: Commander Morrison + Captain Amari Recruitment.**

 **Route 2: Captain Wasser reconnects with Family and Friends + Gain Allies in the Canadian Military**

 **Route 3: Discover more of the Revenants' Plot + Lucio's Recruitment**

 **Route 4: Discover more of the Danger the Omnics still pose on Korea + Hana Song's Recruitment**

 **Poll should be up on my Profile, so go ahead and cast your votes.**

 **This time around, you lads are getting 2 votes.**

 **Top 2 are the next locations and plot points for the story, in order of most popular vote.**

 **So, anyways, hope you all enjoyed the Chapter.**

 **And I'll hope to see you in the next one.**

 **Fare thee well!**

 **\- Goodnames-alltaken**


	11. Chapter 11 - Stigma

He sat quietly in his seat, staring down at his uniform for a good long while, contemplating. The uniform, despite having been cleaned by the dry cleaners in Oasis and having been checked over for him by Lena and Angela, still felt uncomfortable on him.

Maybe it was because he hasn't worn it in years.

It wasn't the familiar Officer's Coat and Armour that he had to wear regularly when he was with Overwatch. It was much more formal, and as a consequence much more uptight than he was used to.

It was the Canadian Army's Dress Uniform. Not the Ceremonial One, because he never took it with him to Overwatch; he left that one in his locker back at Canadian Military Headquarters.

The Lieutenant-Colonel Pip-and-Crown Insignia was upon both shoulders, however he was not wearing his beret yet. It was still in his hand, held tightly under his watchful gaze.

He never liked wearing berets. He always prefered the peaked cap himself, unfortunately however the Army Dress was with a beret, only the Navy wore a peaked cap. Elaine always prefered the berets to the caps though... then again, that might only be because the cap can sometimes mess up her hair more than the beret.

All the medals he had on hand with him that he had obtained within the Army was pinned on, but it always felt underwhelming.

I mean, sure, he had _The Cross of the Phoenix of Terra_ , one of the highest medals anyone could obtain in the Armed Forces. Hell, as far as he knew, he was the only person to ever obtain it, but it still remained that there were still better medals out there.

Like the Victoria Cross, or the Cross of Valour, the two highest awards anyone could obtain.

Though, he suppose he should be relatively content with what medals he did have pinned on.

Most prominently was naturally the his _C.P.T_ medal, pinned higher than the others on his left breast. Underneath were some of the few other less noteworthy medals that he won, such as the medal certifying that he was a Member of the Order of Merit.

There was also his Meritorious Service Cross, the Medal of Sacrifice, a few of the more obscure and common medals. He was originally legible for many more medals, but due to the fact that the 'Night Raids' were strictly 'off the records', it meant that they couldn't simply give him a bunch of medals for acts that aren't supposed to even be known.

They simply awarded him for a few of the many things he accomplished, and he took it at that. His Father however, had far more medals than he did, one of the few things they joked about when they were home or off duty.

His Father was an exemplary soldier, which was why he was given the title of 'Commander', though his official rank is General; the highest senior ranking position in the Canadian Army. 'Commander' is just kind of a nickname since every other General tends to defer to his Father's command.

Might be the smoldering stare, or it might be the no-nonsense attitude that he naturally had.

Contrary to his Father's cold demeanor though, he was a family man. He was playful at home, made dry jokes that made Kyle start doing the same, and genuinely cared underneath the whole gruff attitude he naturally has.

He sighed, "... Going back home though, huh?".

Sure, it was his idea to go back home and alert his Father, Elaine, and Parliament that he was alive. He wanted to see family and friends again since it had been decades... see what they had done with themselves.

In a sense, it was almost like opening a door that had been closed, but at the same time it was like closing an open door, if that made any sense.

Lena, perhaps sensing the trepidation and anxiety that he was experiencing, turned her gaze up from her personal device to ask him, "What's the matter, love?".

"... Just the usual hesitation that comes with returning home", he turned his eyes to Lena, "... Wonder what I'll say to Kelsy... or Suzy. I can't imagine what I'll tell my Mother, nor can I imagine what I'll tell my Father".

"It's been a while for you, huh, Love?", Lena smiled sympathetically, "Must be hard to just return home out of the blue".

"It certainly isn't easy", he admitted, "... It's also been a very long time. My Father should be in his 90s by now, though he'll always say he's '60' just because his career began 60 years ago", he gave a low chuckle, "I guess I'm like him in the ways that we take our careers.

We both consider our age relative to our careers, because we believe we became someone else when we forged our lives".

Him saying that, made Lena break into a giggle. She just found it funny because of how well she knew him.

Perhaps he was hurt by her laughter, or simply curious, but after she recovered, he casted her a strange glance and asked, "What's so funny?".

"You don't know half the truth to what you just said, Kyle", she grinned wide.

Then, she giggled some more.

He sarcastically drawled to her, "I hadn't realized that we became a comedic act. Shame, I would've been sure to have brought some of my jokes with me".

"It's alright love, we can improvise like we always do!", she grinned.

"Why does that not comfort me?"

...

...

" **Little Lenny's Diner", 3 Hours Later, 10 Minutes from Canadian Army Headquarters**

Elaine's utensils clatter gently against the porcelain plate, joining the cacophony of chatter and other utensils that pervaded the entirety of the diner. She raised her fork and placed the small piece of peameal bacon into her mouth.

And as much as she wished to enjoy the flavour of her delightful breakfast-lunch meal, she found herself strangely distracted. She chewed, but she chewed with no pleasure. Her uneasiness must have shown upon her face, for her companions for her meal seem to take notice immediately.

Her Husband politely patted his lips with the napkin and brought it down before asking her, "Is everything alright, Elaine? You seem awfully distracted, Honey".

She turned her eyes to her husband, and opened her mouth to speak.

But we'll ignore that for now.

She had just turned her eyes to her husband, and thus was able to take in the sight of him.

He was a tall fellow, even taller than Kyle, though not by much she admitted.

He was about 6 foot 1, just an inch taller than her memory of her late subordinate's height.

He also did not have the same piercing, cool, yet warm eyes that Kyle had, instead, he had youthful, energetic, and compassionate hazel eyes that were as soft as a bed of feathers. He was a gentle man who was as every bit devoted as he was compassionate.

He had the body frame of someone who clearly worked out, but lacked the air of the 'warrior' that she and Kyle shared. This man could hold his own, she believed, but he would not survive a war, she knew. There was a constant 'easy-going' air about him that was one of the few things that allowed her to relax when she was in their shared apartment.

He was the envy of many women for her, and he had a very good rapport in the Medical Community and Military for his good work in saving lives during the Omnic Crisis and the short-while afterwards during the 'Clean Up Period'.

He was also, an avid player of Starcraft (A Game she never could get into), was an amateur author (He has published a few poems), and had a habit of twiddling his thumbs (Literally how you'd imagine it) whenever he got bored.

He brushed away some of his dark brown hair as he realized that it was making him look a little silly, but recovers without a word as he asked her once again, "Okay there, Sweetie?".

"... I can't help but feel something's off", she replied unsurely before turning her eyes to the man across the table from her, "... You feel it too, can't you Commander?".

The 'Commander', was none other than General Wasser.

He was already frowning, his eyes shining with the familiar glare that was indicative of the fact that he was deep in thought. Then, there was a click in her Commander's eyes. He foreboded with a seriousness that unnerved her, "... A Hunter in Sheep's Clothing looms", his eyes look about, "Something is coming our way".

It was the Officer's Intuition. Something that they seemed to have 'developed' ever since the nightmare that was the Omnic Crisis. Having to anticipate the Assassin Omnics that lurked in the very shadows, and having to avoid the 'kill-zones' in the front-line firefights had honed their 'sixth' sense.

Her Husband visibly tensed, "... Are we in danger?".

Elaine assuringly reached over and squeezed his hand, "It's fine Leonard... whatever this is... it's with us".

Commander Wasser nodded slowly, and noted aloud, "... You know, I had thought you dead, Kiddo".

"Rumours of my death were greatly exaggerated", Elaine nearly jumped out of fear when she heard the voice of a Nightmare loom behind her.

She found herself in the shadow of Canada's Greatest Hero/Villain, depending on who you asked.

Lieutenant-Colonel Kyle Lazarus Wasser, the Nightmare of the North, the Digital Nightmare, the Terror of the Dark, the Indestructible, the Slayer of the Omnic Hordes, the Stalwart Champion.

Plenty of monikers, 3 of which allude to his Night Raids, and the remainder to his Overwatch Reputation.

He nodded to her with a professionalism that doesn't quite match the warmth that seemed to burn in his eyes, "Elaine", then, "Father".

"Colonel", his Father gave him a matching tone of professionalism, but his eyes were aglow with delight... even if he could barely read it, "... It's a fine day to see you still walk amongst the living".

"Turns out I'm a tough son of a bitch to kill", he replied with an easy nonchalance, then he turned to Elaine, "I hadn't expected you to be eating here... I had gone to Headquarters only to be told by Major Weston that you had gone out for lunch here".

"And I wouldn't have thought to ever see you alive again", she stood up and turned to face him. Then, stepping away from the chair, she showed him her affection by wrapping him up in a hug that didn't quite match her reputation of being 'cold and calculated', "... You have little idea of the relief I feel to see you walking about".

He was unsure how to respond, but settles for not responding physically at all. Instead, he replied, "You should know better than to believe that I'd die to some petty bomb".

"It doesn't change the fact that you disappeared for nearly three decades", she takes a step back before taking notice of his companions, "Huh... Lena Oxton and Angela Ziegler? Strange entourage you have there, Wasser".

"Colleagues", he told her bluntly, "Nothing has changed".

She looked at him with a hint of fondness, and a bit of exasperation, "Will you ever get over it?".

"I've certainly tried", there's pain in his eyes, "... It doesn't help that I succeeded at one point, but then I made her into a monster, and she's run off like a dog without a leash. I fear for what she can do considering her newly-acquired arsenals, but I have little doubt that she'd not do something without giving me a chance to stop her".

"What do you mean?".

"I'll explain it to you in a moment", he took a glance around to see some of the other patrons of the Diner staring and whispering about him. Undoubtedly he had been recognized, he thought.

He turned his eyes to the man with the metal band that made him both immensely envious, yet at the same time, relieved.

Just a glance alone could tell that he was his own man, not some cheap-knock off who Elaine had chosen to replace him.

He gave the man a cordial, but cool greeting, "You must be Elaine's Husband. I'm...".

"Lieutenant-Colonel Kyle Lazarus Wasser", there were stars in Leonard's eyes as he stood up and turned to face him properly, "The Great Canadian War Hero in the flesh, before my very eyes".

"...", Kyle gave a strained smile, "And you are...?".

He was never good at Hero-Worship. Never cared for his reputation to begin with, anyone who has ever served with him knew that.

"Leonard Harper! Or er...", Leonard visibly blushes and scratches his cheek, "Leonard Sigmund, General Practitioner for one of the Hospital's nearby".

He tilted his head in a nod, "Pleasure to meet you", then, he gestured to Angela and Lena, "As Elaine said, this is Lena Oxton...".

"Cheers!", Lena gave an easy salute.

"... and Angela Ziegler".

"Greetings", Angela gave a polite wave.

"Lena's one of the Former Test-Pilots during the Omnic Crisis", he shrugged, "But you probably know her more commonly as 'Tracer'".

"A Pleasure", Elaine gave a cool nod.

Lena beamed a smile in return.

Commander Wasser asked straight off, "And what is your relationship to the Colonel?".

"She's my Colleague", he replied in her stead, "Friend when we're off the Battlefield".

"...", his Father casted him a suspicious look.

He gave a pointed look at his Father before gesturing with his eyes at Elaine.

His Father relented with a cool nod before glancing at Angela.

He had to do a double-take before asking, "Is this Major Romana? Or rather, Lieutenant Cilcia Romana? The Girl you mention in the Correspondence?".

He winced visibly, "No... this isn't Cilcia".

"It isn't?", Elaine looked perplexed, "She matches the description though. European, Blonde Hair, Milky Skin...".

"This is someone else", he gestured with his hand before casting a glance at Angela's face, "... Go ahead".

She gave a very delicate nod, and spoke with a Doctor's calmness, "I'm Overwatch's Former Medical Director, my name is Angela Ziegler".

"Oh?", his Father glanced at him before noting aloud, "So you're the shrink he's mentioned in the past".

"He has mentioned me?", Angela casted Kyle a look of her own.

Kyle was silent as his Father nodded, "Indeed. Spoke well of you and your capabilities", before glancing at his child once more, "... Is there anyone else I need to know about?".

"None with me as of right now", he hesitates and steals one more glance at Angela before telling his Father, "Friend, before you bother".

"Lenny!", his Father roared like a Lion; making countless utensils drop in surprise and even a few glasses dropped in tandem.

A stout man with round-spectacles poked his head out of the kitchen, sweating nervously before croaking back with anxiety apparent, "Y-Yes, Richard?".

"Fetch me 3 more chairs!", General Wasser ordered. He loomed, even though he was in his seat, and his face was darkened with the cold stare that pierced into everyone from his gray eyes.

...

By the time they were done catching up, 3 additional plates of food had arrived to the table before them. He glanced at the plate and showed surprise on his face, "Oh, I wasn't planning on staying long".

"Nonsense", there was no room for arguement from his Father's tone, "You'll be having brunch with us. You owe me this much considering you've been missing for 30 years, Kiddo".

Lena looked between the plate and Captain Wasser. Then, as discreetly as she could manage, she whispered to him, "... Can we please stay? I'm hungry".

Angela's stomach only rumbles in agreement to Lena's suggestion. Angela's face turned red when Kyle turns and gives a smirk of amusement.

He sighed and patted his stomach to console himself, "... Alright, fine... I could use a break from Military Rations anyways".

"Good", his Father's eyes twinkle once again, "Jillian will be ecstatic if I tell her that you're alive".

"Don't bother", Kyle grunted in response. His fingers grab the utensils and begins cutting away at the food in the next moment, "I'll visit Mom myself, later".

"I would hope so", his Father turned his attention back to his food... just like that.

Angela thought that it was strange. She had thought that Commander Wasser wasn't acting properly considering he was reuniting with his child after 30 years. He simply caught up... and seemed to just leave it at that.

But she hadn't known, for the silence was created for the sake of Elaine and Kyle to be able to start their own conversation.

She turned to him, and began asking, "So, what are you doing right now, Kyle? I take it you're not just 'laying' low".

"...", the pain that crosses his face momentarily was enough to give Elaine pause. He shook his head, "Nothing I can say in public hearing", he explained, "It's confidential information".

"Confidential?", General Wasser quirks up his eyebrow.

"United Nation's Council Confidential", he leaned forward, "The type of stuff that Overwatch kept under wraps. For good reason, and it was the type of stuff that was confidential to the point that the United Nations Council knew they too had to keep it under wraps...

Which actually kinda explains why when Overwatch collapsed, I didn't hear an uproar over my circumstances, but I suppose that's to be expected".

Then, he took a bite of his food.

His Father frowned, "More secrets? I hadn't any real opinion on Overwatch, but the extent of Blackwatch's shadowy activities more than justified Overwatch's removal and the placement of the Petras Act".

"Maybe", he shrugged, "In Blackwatch's Defense, it did its job well and just as how I had anticipated it would".

"Really?", his Father's eye twitches, "Then perhaps you care to clear something up for me: Namely someone named ' _REVENANT_ '".

The atmosphere thickened to the point where it could literally be syrup. Angela froze up in her seat and Lena dropped her fork onto her plate out of surprise.

He clenched his fist and Elaine turned her eyes to him. Leonard, seemed frightened that the persona was even mentioned to begin with.

"... Seems like you've already pieced the puzzles together", Kyle shifted in his seat.

"Honestly? I haven't", his Father didn't let up the stare, "But I have enough information from the United Nations Council to draw up my conclusions.

Everyone seems intent to think that when Revenant strikes, to just kill a few innocents and one of them just-so-happens to turn out to be Former Blackwatch.

I, however, noticed the fact that something was always happening in these attacks.

A subtle little thing that most people wouldn't notice".

His eyes sharpened into blades, "... Personal Devices of the Main Victim of the Attack is always shot.

Easy to ignore, but when it happens to every _single_ one of them, it means Revenant was clearly doing something with it.

Using my United Nations Clearance, considering I'm Canada's Head of the Army, I managed to procure the devices of the Blackwatch Agents.

I repaired the chips and restored what I could. I even had General Harper here lead a U.N Strike Force into Numbani to procure a Blackwatch Agent; anticipating that he'd be Revenant's next target.

Revenant never attacked, and we detained the agent with minimal fuss. Turns out, he was holding onto information pertaining to Operation: Knights of the Gray...

Sound familiar?".

"The Name for Blackwatch's Plot to remove Captain Wasser", Elaine told Lena and Angela.

"Turns out, Blackwatch knew the complete details that the U.N investigation team had been spending decades trying to solve.

They had, prior to the Operation, had multiple operatives infiltrate New York City and plant bombs within a structure.

Then, during the Operation, false information would be fed to Sierra-7, and have them pull to defend a flank that another squadron was supposed to be defending. Commander Morrison gave orders to the now useless-squadron, and had them pull to defend Sierra-7's prior position, trusting to your instincts in combat and had thought that you were preparing for an Omnic Attack.

Then, the original plan was to have a small squadron of Blackwatch Agents infiltrate the building and slowly and quietly kill the men and women of Sierra-7 inside the building; working their way up to you and your Lieutenant.

Things didn't work out when they ended up being escorted directly up to you by half the squadron. They had anticipated you to be too busy preparing to have an escort, thus they had to play by ear.

They attacked, but they were slaughtered.

The last stragglers detonated the bombs in their desperation, and the building came down with Sierra-7 inside it.

Fast forward 2 days later, an Recovery Team comes in and realizes that they can't find any of Sierra-7's Ranks amongst the corpses and rubble.

Morrison makes the conclusion that you've been captured or something along that line, and declares you missing in action.

Blackwatch makes a fake attempt of searching for you, and reports that they find no evidence that you survived.

Morrison wants to declare you dead, but many amongst the ranks argue that you can't be declared dead if your corpse is missing.

You are declared missing in action.

Reyes begins his personal investigation with a handful of Blackwatch Survivors of the attempt on your life.

They find minimal traces that you were there to begin with.

Fast forward a few years now, near the brink of Overwatch's decline and eventual collapse, a new Terrorist Cell appears in Romania and has begun operating actively against Overwatch's Peacekeeping Patrols in the region.

People turn up dead, but a handful of survivors say that they wore ripped Uniforms similar to Overwatch Designs.

Then, Overwatch is disbanded and the Cell goes unreported.

Nearly a decade passes, and the Cell's activity remains unwatched. However, a split of some kind occurs, because a new Terrorist calling themself 'Revenant' comes to light in the heart of Berlin when they attack Parliament and kill 2 Ministers, 3 Civilians, 23 Security Officers, and 1 Former-Blackwatch Agent who, at the time, was working as a Tour Guide".

"Don't bother continuing", he didn't want to know the full extent of his madness anymore than he could vaguely recollect, "... And eventually you came to the conclusion that it was me?".

Elaine and his Commander casted him hard stares. Uncomfortably hard, less like family and friend and more akin to Officers giving the verdict to hang for a Deserter.

"I know it's you. The Subtle Movement of Pawns underneath the Slaughters. The careful shadow looming over the world, but its eyes focused away from what the world thinks it's focused upon.

The Conspirator amongst the Loyalists.

The Wolf among Sheep.

The Nightmare amongst Dreams", there was a cold edge to Commander Wasser's voice.

The delight in his eyes was never there. It was only a grim determination.

Elaine stared at him with a stranger's eyes. She declared, "You are not the Kyle I entrusted to Overwatch".

His Father stated bluntly, "You are an abomination playing a benign masquerade to fool us. I know all about your 'Prometheus Project'", he sneered openly, "The United Nations Council knew that with the dissolving of Overwatch, that they'd need someone to keep an eye out for their pet-projects coming back to bite them.

You?

You are one of them.

The Worst One, in fact.

A ticking time bomb, waiting to blow up and start the next Omnic Crisis".

"It's already begun. Have you not paid attention to Russia?", Kyle asked. Now, the warmth in his eyes was being replaced by the brilliant light of something else, "You think to paint me as a mad man, yet you know not my reasons. You paint me a traitor to Humanity, yet you dare not acknowledge my sacrifice".

"No, I dare not acknowledge the monster you've become, Kid", his Father stood up stiffly.

Elaine followed suit, bound by duty and with a cold calculated gaze in her eyes, "You can try to hide it away as much as you want, but I knew you once. That light in your eyes... no sane man should have it".

The change in atmosphere was bizarre for the Overwatch Agents.

When they had first arrived, the delight and warmth that exuded from the Generals seemed to overpower all the anxiety and trepidation in Kyle's fears in contacting them. Yet, the change in moods was sudden.

Abrupt.

Inhuman, even.

Kyle narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "This is very unlike the both of you. What has happened?".

"Nothing, has happened", Elaine declared stiffly.

Then, Commander Wasser declared, "You are naught but a danger to the Sovereignty of Canada and her People. I will _NOT_ have you in this Country any longer, and I'm quite sure the rest of the Armed Forces and People will agree quickly if they knew just what laid underneath that _mask_ of yours".

Kyle blinked, and Angela tried to interfere in his defense, "To be quite fair, that was the work of the God Program. It has been recontained, I as-".

"And what happens when it breaks containment again?", Commander Wasser mused, "Revenant back in action, in the midst of Overwatch no less? You should consider yourself lucky that I even acknowledged you to begin with. Consider yourselves luckier still that I haven't had the entire army marching down to capture you and have you executed".

"Canada doesn't condone capital punishment", Kyle frowned.

"The Prime Minister has ways, Kid", Commander Wasser narrowed his eyes before glaring at his Companions, "Now, I want you three out of this city within the next hour... where upon which, I will inform the Armed Forces that Revenant and a pair of Accomplices has been sighted in the City, and search operation will take place".

"If you are caught, then I suppose that's one less threat to the Country.

If not? Oh well, I take it you won't be making anymore trouble for us", then, he and Elaine left the Diner without paying the bill.

There's a moment of silence as Kyle allowed it to sink in, and as Leonard took a moment to digest the information.

With his deep frown etched deep into his features, and a curl of anger upon his lips, he stated bluntly, "That was a very abrupt change. Very unlike them, yet the words they speak ring true to how they would act with other individuals they disapprove".

He took a moment to gather himself before wondering aloud to no one in particular, "... Perhaps they view me as someone else? They certainly wouldn't be far off. The Kyle they knew had left a War Hero, and yet now he returns as a Delirious Psychopath with a Pair of God Programs running rampant in his head".

"Captain...".

"Matters little, I suppose", he stood up stiffly and nodded to Leonard, "You'd best be on your way, Doctor. I'm afraid if you stay any longer, you will be in trouble with Elaine, and I can tell you'd rather avoid it if possible".

Leonard snapped out of it and stood up in a rush, but paused for a moment before glancing at Angela and Kyle. He stops, and reaches into his coat frantically, "J-Just a moment".

Then, he stuck out his hand holding a small card.

One quick look, and he could tell it was a business card. Phone Number, the Hospital he works at, and his full name.

He cocked up an eyebrow, Kyle asked, "Why are you giving me this?".

Leonard gave a tired smile, "Because you're not the only one to notice their strange behavior. I've never mentioned it to her... or anyone else for that matter, but she and... every damn General I've had to meet is very different from what people from the past seems to say when they're doing their job...

I mean, at home she's the same woman I married, but when she's at work... she's someone else".

"Someone else, huh?", Kyle frowned to himself.

Angela and Lena were both silent, but they can tell gears were grinding in the Captain's head.

Kyle eventually just gave a slow nod, "... Then it's reassuring for me to think that they don't seem to be completely acting like themselves.

I suppose that's a mystery I can investigate in my spare time, but as it stands, I suppose I can't consider the notion that I have Canadian Support for Overwatch".

"Well...", Leonard cuts in, "I've only seen the High-Officials acting like real assholes to us Civies or people they consider to be 'Enemies of the State'. I have a few friends who's in the Military, and apparently they notice it too.

They feel like they get treated as cannon fodder, and it annoys them to no bounds.

Maybe you don't have support amongst the officer ranks, but you should probably try your luck with the rest of the army. Barring the fact that you're... uh... suffering from a condition, I'm sure they'd rally under your command if you aren't any different from what I've read about you".

"Read about me?", now amused, Kyle asked, "What? They write textbooks with me in 'em now?".

"You're a Footnote in the textbooks", Leonard took a moment before stating, "But you're fairly prominent in the Books about the Omnic Crisis though. I suppose Canada always could use more Heroes... considering the Current Ones just want people stroking their ego".

"Canadian Heroes, huh?", he chuckled to himself, "... Idiots", he shook his head, but took the card from Leonard, "Alright Leonard, consider yourself a friend to Overwatch and to the Military.

Me and my Compatriots will be leaving the country, but your input here has been very insightful. I suppose I may have support with the Military after all, just a matter of gathering it.

As it stands though, I need to leave. I don't want the Country to fall apart because I show up", he snorted, "... I'll do some digging on Elaine though. I'm concerned about her".

He turned and nodded to Lena and Angela, "You two head out and wait for me outside. I need to have a quick word with Leonard here... **privately** ".

Angela hesitates, "Are you sure, Captain?".

"It's better this way", he replied bluntly, "As much as I know the two of you would like to know what I'll be discussing. It's private.

 _Very_ Private".

Angela caught on.

Before Lena could protest, Angela had stood up and was dragging Lena alongside with her, "Very well... I understand. We'll be outside. Do not tarry, Captain. Do what you must".

...

...

 **Aboard the Air Carrier, 3 Hours Later, En Route to Watchpoint: Northern Atlantic**

He was silent for the duration of the flight. Hands steady on the piloting stick, and eyes focused dead-ahead despite Lena's earlier attempts at conversation, and despite Angela's attempts to get him to say something.

There was a stiffness in his movements, and there was a very hard edge to his eyes. She could tell that something was bothering him deeply, but she dared not make a guess on the possibility of angering him. Plus, with Lena dozing off in the back, she'd rather not make a lot of noise as it stands.

But she couldn't keep silent. With Lena resting, this was her chance at privacy with him. She asked him, quiet enough to not disturb Lena, but loud enough to make it clear that she was intent on speaking, "Captain, something's bothering you".

He casted her a moment's glance, but said not a word as he turned his eyes back out the cockpit.

"...", she hesitates, but steels herself and pushes the point, "You're trying to hide it".

"What have I to hide?" he mused, "Furthermore, why do you care if I'm hiding it?".

She reached out and touched his forearm, "Captain, it's my duty to attend to everyone's well being".

"Last time I checked, you don't do Emotional Counselling", he leaned forward and pressed a few buttons before announcing, "20 Minutes to Landing Sequence".

"I don't do emotional counselling as a Doctor, Kyle", she used his first name in hopes that it would make some sort of reaction, "You can pretend to be unfazed as hard as you can, but you can't hide the truth from me".

"And why would I hide things from _you_?", he asked.

"Because you believe it is your duty, to be strong for us all", Angela tightened her grip on his forearm, "... it is not your purpose to be an anchor for us all whilst neglecting yourself".

"Neglecting myself", he snorted derisively.

"Exactly", she frowned and chided him, "You may think yourself our Leader, but we aren't so weak as to breakdown should you take a break. You can't shoulder the burden alone. You can try, but no man can do it".

"No mere man", he points at a dangerous fact, "I'm no 'mere man'".

"You are a man as any other", she squeezed, "You may think yourself better, and perhaps you are, but you are still very much man and mortal.

I will not stand aside and let you tear yourself apart in hopes of defending others who can defend themselves".

"It's not your decision to make".

"Perhaps it really isn't my place to interfere, but it _is_ my decision".

For a moment, he's silent, and Angela only pushes further, "I won't allow you to walk this road alone, Captain. At the very least, allow me to follow you down, so you are no longer alone".

Then, Angela too, went silent.

He looked... slightly pleased, from what little she could gather, but he dared not to show more as he maintains the hard expression. It takes a few tense seconds before he responds, "... We'll continue this conversation later.

15 Minutes to Landing Sequence".

She can only hope that he'd take her words to heart, even if he were to reject her hopes of becoming a companion to him.

To become the Lieutenant Romana that he had lost.

To become Angel who would follow the Revenant into the depths of hell and beyond, just to make sure that someone will be able to drag him out when he has gone beyond his means.

And even if he weren't to allow her to follow him.

Then she can at least say she tried.

That she, at the very least, watched him out the gates and into the depths of the inferno beyond.

...

...

 _To: **Mweston** _ ( _Forwarded to 1,290 Additional Emails)_

 _From: **CAPTAINKYLELWASSER** _

_Subject: REINSTATEMENT_

 _Non-Commissioned Officers & Lower-Commissioned Officers of the Canadian Army, _

_This is Lieutenant-Colonel Kyle Lazarus Wasser of the Canadian Army,_

 _You can consider this my 'official' return to active duty, however,_

 _ **THIS REINSTATEMENT IS TO NOT BE REVEALED TO ANY RANKING OFFICER ABOVE THE RANK OF 'MAJOR'; NOR IS IT TO BE REVEALED TO ANY OTHER BRANCH OF THE MILITARY + GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS**_

 _I am currently investigating a possibility of a Canadian Conspiracy that may threaten the entirety of the nation, thus this is why I have the need for secrecy. I have sent this email and forwarded it to to the rest because you all more or less served under my command._

 _I have drilled you to be relentlessly loyal to your nation, thus I know that you would not betray me (despite the undoubtedly prevalent accusations from the Prime Minister and numerous other Commissioned Officers) even if the majority of the Canadian Heirarchy may condemn me._

 _The Conspiracy, is on such a grand scale, that I have little doubt in my mind that the future of Canada is not only in peril, but **WILL** be that of bloodshed. As it stands, you lot are going to be acting as my eyes and ears in the military._

 _Know that you are not serving the Canadian Army by serving me, but rather you will be serving the People of Canada and the values of justice. If you have a problem with the possible nation of 'conspiring' (Though I would not use the word) against the Nation and its Government, then you are not going to be forced to serve under my command._

 _If you wish to not be a part of this, close and delete this email immediately._

 _If you are still reading, I will assume you are willing._

 _Here are you first orders from me:_

 _Begin enlisting Men and Women underneath your Command to 'The Cause'._

 _Dub yourselves 'The Knights of the Gray', for know that when those above your station become corrupted, that you shall not follow your footsteps and that you will still uphold the Oath you swore when you became an Officer of the Canadian Army._

 _Stand Vigilant and Stand Proud, for when the day comes that I return to bring forth the Reckoning, that we will stand fast for the Public to protect Canada._

 _Not a word to General Harper and my Father, especially._

 _Whatever this conspiracy is, it would appear that they are a part of it._

 _Remain Vigilant, Trust No One._

 _L.C Wasser_ '.

He made sure to run it through a few additional proxies and pack it with a few data worms just to be safe before he began attaching the necessary files for his so-called 'investigation'.

A bunch of it was fabricated, but they wouldn't know better.

Besides, considering the fact that his Father AND Elaine... his two big anchors back at home seems to (oddly) hate his guts, it was clear that he wasn't going to get official Canadian Support.

So, to counteract the lack of official military support, he knew he'd have to reach out to his subordinates.

Thankfully, his training regime (The same used for Sierra-7), was the type of rigorous training that breeded hardened soldiers who were loyal to the cause they fought for.. if not, then to the Commanding Officer they serve under.

They'll sympathize with him, and if not, then at the very least, won't rat him out simply because they know they'll owe him that much.

Besides, he was a Canadian War Hero. Even if they weren't relentlessly loyal, they'd still feel compelled to listen to him.

Soon, he had sent the email and found himself in the Watchpoint's Workshop... aka Torbjorn's second home. Not as grand as HQ's workshop, but this one was, according to Torbjorn's words "Adequate for work".

The Resident Master-Craftsman... or as he likes to call in his head 'The Ikea Gnome' was hard at work with some pet project of some kind.

He wanted to bring up the idea of altering the Revenant Suit immediately.

If he was going to utilize it (which he believed to be inevitable since Overwatch as it stands, is terribly undermanned and requires more public 'Heroes' if it wished to overcome the UN's Wishes), he knew he needed to change the look.

Revenant was an entity of the God Program... not him.

Naturally, he had a few 'directions' that he was leaning for a redesign.

One was to remodel the armour after the Polish Winged Hussars from the Earlier Eras of Humanity. Intimidating to those who stood against them, but an inspiring sight for those they fought for, it seemed like a good match considering his reputation prior.

Another design was to base it off Angela' current Angelic Design. Naturally, his would have to retain some sort of flair to terrorize the enemy and inspire the allies. He'd have to work with Torbjorn to design new wings... probably use some lightweight material to give it the image of 'flapping' when he uses his thrust abilities.

Furthermore, he'd have to repaint the armour white and gold to go with a 'heavenly' aura, and might even have to wear some sort of halo accessory if he was truly intent on going with a 'Seraphim' Design.

The last redesign wasn't really... well... a redesign.

It was to return the armour back to its 'apex Revenant' form. To reintroduce the 'scorched metal' aesthetic that was original to the suit, the aesthetic that few in the world had ever seen, but the few that did feared immensely.

He changed the design from the 'scorched metal' to 'midnight black' when he departed from the Revenants.

The Original Armour unsettled him, because it was an image of the future he promised. A fire from the depths of hell, returned to scorch the world in retaliation. It was the 'seed of evil' as he always thought of it... though what did that mean to him, since it was his mind that conceived the idea for it?

Nonetheless, whenever he donned the design, it seemed to boost his ability to interface with the God Programs and allow his combat abilities to soar up to fearsome levels that would leave armies quaking in his approach.

The offset of this, however, means he couldn't 'rally' troops since they'd fear him just as much as the enemy.

Three Different Designs, Three Different Traits.

The Polish Winged Hussar: Moderately Intimidating, Moderately Inspirational. Probably the most balanced form since it'd allow him to attack with little need of restraint yet serves as a rallying sight that could turn the tides if things start to go awry. Something told him that Angela would approve of this Redesign. Furthermore, it's historical... always feels good to be wearing something historical for the modern age. This style is fairly balanced. It'd allow him to play as an Anchor Fighter. He'd be in the center of everything, to rally and to fight.

The Seraphim: Not Intimidating, Very Inspirational. Difficult to fight in since it meant that his 3 decades of brutal fighting + his night raids experience will need him to retrain his combat style to incorporate more finesse to match the aesthetic and maintain the inspirational boost that this style could give. It would let him take focal point for a defensive counterattack, or maybe even give offenses the extra nudge needed to overpower a defense. Something told him that Lena would approve of this redesign despite the fact that it is closer in aesthetic to Angela's Valkyrie Suit. He'd also become a mainly Defensive Fighter in order to rally properly.

Finally, The True Revenant: Terrifyingly Intimidating, Horrible Rallying Ability. Easiest to fight in, and allows him to attack with NO restraint. His warfare talents from the night raids + with the 3 decades of God-Program Combat would allow him to tear apart the enemy and strike fear deep into the heart of those that stand against him. While most would call it 'cool', it won't serve as a good rallying point. If anything, picking this meant he'd have to fight more independently since he'd draw heavy focus from the enemy. A dark sensation of satisfaction deep inside urged him to take this option... Cilcia would have wanted him to return to his roots... an enemy or not. Insane or Sane. This would make him a powerful offensive fighter... a glass cannon though.

He frowned his eyebrows, knotting the muscles as he begins to realize something:

If he redesigned the armour, his current weapons simply won't do.

He'll have to change up his main playstyle.

That left him with two choices:

Maintain his current combat form: The Harbinger.

He would keep his Custom Rifle and utilize it to make himself an agile shooter who kept the enemy on edge by appearing in various interruptive intervals to pump damage down range. His ' _HARBINGER SHOT_ ' ability would work as either a shield-smasher or as an Anti-Sniper Round.

Furthermore... it's how he's been fighting for 3 decades. It's always worked so far, so why change a good thing?

Then there was the next combat form: The Huntsman.

He would forego all ranged combat altogether and become focused on his terrifying prowess in close quarter combat. He would probably get to hassle Torbjorn to produce some sort of... lance or halberd of some kind, since the Revenant Suit would work awesomely to allow him to make aerial dives that could easily do heavy damage on his victims.

He was looking at the Halberd since, while it retains some use of the lance (Dive Attacks), the Halberd would grant him standard combat capabilities and allow him to keep some foes within his range more easily. Hell, if he played it right, he was sure he would be able to tear through entire swaths of enemy with single cuts.

Then there'd be a heavy sword of some kind. Something for face-to-face combat if he was caught with someone who also specialized in face-to-face combat. It'd be faster than the Halberd, but weaker, however combining the agility of the sword with the Revenant Suit could make a deadly combination.

Very few people exist who could face him in melee combat... fewer still when they're up close and personal with him. Maybe it's time to finally build a foundation around that and exploit his talent for CQC.

But, changing combat style can wait.

For now, he should gradually make the change. Might as well start with the appearance.

He accosts Torbjorn, and brings it up.

It was about time for a rebirth.

But as he talked to Torbjorn, a realization struck him.

" _Huh... I never got to visit Kelsy, Mother or Suzy_ ".

Another time, perhaps... a far more important issue was on hand.

 **Who will he become?**

 **The Anchor (Balanced)**

 **The Sentinel (Defensive)**

 **The Revenant (Offensive)**

 **There's another poll for it, so go ahead and vote your little hearts out!  
**

 **And just a recap in case you somehow missed it:**

 **1 = Increases his Relations with Angela**

 **2 = Increases his Relations with Lena**

 **3 = Increases his Relations with Cilcia (!?)**

 **Yup, Cilcia is a love interest even if she is insane and is questionable in morals and ethics.**

 **Being the Anchor boosts Relations with Angela simply because he'd be doing what she's tried to tell him to stop being: An Anchor for everyone else.**

 **Being a Seraphim boosts Relations with Lena since she'd see it as his grand plan to turn back into a Hero.**

 **Being a Revenant is... well.. you get it, I'm sure.**

 **We'll also eventually get to meet his Older Sister Kelsy and his Younger Sister Suzy sometime in the future when he returns to Canada for one reason or another.**

 **Same applies to his Mother, though we might see her somewhere else in due time too.**

 **Next Stop: South Korea & , who we'll be seeing next chapter. **

**Thanks for reading folks, hope to see you in the next one.**

 **Goodnames-alltaken**

 **P.S – I know I'm late to say this, but let me get this out of the way right now: I prefer Angela's Uprising Hair Style to her Ponytail and usual style... though I still like the Ponytail.**

 **P.P.S – I'll probably incorporate the Legendary Skins for the Characters eventually. Probably. I dunno tho, not all of the characters will probably get to be in their Legendary Skins for the story.**

 **I really dunno.**


	12. Chapter 12 - Auribus Teneo Lupum

**?, ?**

" _What we are doing, is not Baseless Terrors._

 _What we fight for, is not some petty revenge._

 _This, my Revenants, is the Dawn of War,_

 _Rapture is nigh._

 _A Reckoning is not to be postponed indefinitely_ "

Revenant Wasser, 2 Weeks After 'Ascendance'

" _CAPTAIN! YOU'VE GOT TO KEEP PUSHING ON!"._

 _Even drowning in countless deaths and wounds, he could hear her voice over the agony of his own screams of torment._

 _The metal burned his flesh. The scars mark his contract. The light in his eyes serve as proof, forever to be the bright light in the dark. The rage of death burnt his body from the inside, and the flames of molten metal scorched him from outside._

 _Those who enter hell, never come back the same._

 _Let his skin serve testament to the torment of eternity he promises and he shall forever served. Let the light in his eyes show the chains that shall forever bind him. Allow the stone heart in his chest show proof that he shall never love another, for none else is worthy for this Angel of Hell._

 _No other, shall be worthy for him._

 _He was Revenant, and only another Revenant can ever bond with him._

 _And he, at the very least, shall forever suffer under his contract with someone else._

 _The Someone else who had always been at his side._

 _The one who would follow him into the depths of hell and beyond._

 _Her fingers, even hot after having been scorched under the metal, was gentle and soft._

 _He turned to her, pupils as pinpricks and blood vessels threatening to burst._

 _"I will always be in your heart. Forever and always", Revenant declared the contract to her, eyes alight._

" _Let you be the light, forever to shine in the dark"._

 _"Let you be the angel, by my side", he clasped his burnt hands over her own._

 _Her eyes glowed, the flame snuffed and the electronic savior in its stead._

 _His eyes too, glowed. His flame, dwindled to embers, but an Eternal Nightmare awoken in its wake._

 _The Electronic God sits in the stead of the flame, but the Eternal Nightmare dwells where the light cannot reach._

 _The Contract, sealed in hell's fire._

 _A promise, made at the gates of hell._

 _Two Hearts, forever melted together._

 _A Monster, in its wake._

 _A Mad Prophet, and a Mad God._

 _The Great Chain awaits._

 _Rapture was born_.

 _YOU._

 _BUILT._

 _RAPTURE._

 _YOU._

 _DESTROYED._

 _RAPTURE._

 _I._

 _WILL._

 _BIRTH._

 _RAPTURE._

 _YOU._

 _SHALL._

 _RETURN._

 _FOREVER._

 _AND._

 _ALWAYS._

 _MY._

 _DEAR._

 **CAPTAIN**

...

...

" _You think this will kill him?_

 _I was there. I watched him get shot in the head._

 _I shot him myself too. The fucker walked through it like it didn't happen._

 _You're gonna need a lot more to wipe him off the Earth, Boss_ "

A Veteran Talon Operative to his Superior Officer, Unknown Time Period

 **Over the Atlantic Ocean, En Route to Seoul**

"My suggestion? I don't fucking know", he frowned to himself as he lined up for the shot, "I don't think you should listen to me at all. The last time I gave someone a present, she decided to start a cult of assholes".

"Now, Now", Angela chides him with the shake of her head as Lena takes on a crest-fallen look, "There's no need to be rude, Captain".

He sighed, "Okay, look Lena, I'm sorry if I came off a bit brash there. You need to understand though, I'm no good with relationships, considering how my last two turned out:

One married off and decided to become an abrupt asshole when I turn out to be alive, also calls me Canada's Great Traitor despite the fact that I've done more for the Country than anyone else alive!

The other fell in love, fell out of love, fucked me metaphorically and literally, nearly killed me on 10 different occasions, before starting a fucking cult around our nut-job project when I was Revenant...

I don't think there's a man out there with a worse track record than me".

Sparing one more glance at McCree, he took his shot with a clean flick of the wrist; sending the orange ball hurtling through the air for the hoop. It soars through the air, watched closely by everyone who could watch before it sinks in without touching the rim.

He gave a haughty smirk, "I still got it".

Angela watched him play basketball passively whilst chatting away with Lena in complete silence thereafter.

She found herself staring a little too intently at his face. Gazing just a little too long whenever he glanced in her direction while talking to Lena.

Admiring the little things that most people would ignore since it really doesn't matter.

Little obsolete details that are probably better off ignored... like how he cracks his neck before taking a shot. Or how he drums his fingers against his thigh when waiting for McCree to make the pass or take his shot.

She tuned in when he turns his eyes to her, "Angela, what do you think?".

"Excuse me?", caught a little off guard and oblivious to the conversation, she blinked.

He rolled his eyes, "Ahem: 'The Koreans are probably going to give us Under-the-Wraps Support if things go the way I anticipate it to; namely that they'll remember who I am' ".

Angela looked away, thinking.

Then she remembered.

Captain Wasser was responsible for one of the many amazing feats that occurred during the Crisis.

The big one, in particular, is his single-handed takedown of a Titan Omnic that had flanked the entirety of the Main Force and slipped away from the Navy to attack from the Bay.

Echo Squadron, having been tasked with guarding the Flank AND making a move to Flank the Omnic Force, ended up being the only line of defense against it. Wasser ordered the Squadron to keep moving, but stayed behind to deal with the Titan.

From there, everything was foggy.

No one really knows how he managed to shut down the Titan Omnic on his own.

The Committee suspected he interfaced with the Titan by exploiting his Neural Chip and God Program to shut it down.

Morrison and Reyes suspected that he just hacked it and shut down its vital systems and allowed it to deactivate back into the ocean.

The rest of Overwatch jutst thought he fought the thing head-on, utilizing hacking and good ol' fashioned gun play to bring it down.

Nobody ever confirmed which one it was.

The Titan Omnic was seen by the Navy;deactivated and its site of collapse was marked, but when collection teams were sent to harvest the remains of the Titan Omnic, they were surprised to find nothing of the sort.

Though, ominously enough, the signs were clearly there that a Titan Omnic had definitely been near the site.

Hardly mattered to us for now though.

...

Upon remembering, Angela gave a thoughtful nod, "I suppose they would be inclined to lend assistance, but I have my reservations".

"You _are_ a Hero, Luv", Lena smiles.

"... Maybe", he frowned at the term 'Hero', but didn't seem angry... though he did seem uncomfortable.

The label still felt inappropriate, despite the fact that he doesn't have to weigh in the presence of an ever-demanding foreigner in his head.

Even in the past, he never responded well to the label.

He never felt like one... at least he never knew if he felt like one.

He was never more than a Field Captain... a damn good one, mind you, but nothing more.

He was the type to do his duty, no matter how questionable and no matter how 'vile' some would consider it.

It was why he was promoted so readily in the wake of the Night Raids.

It was why his Military Career became the stuff of Historical Textbooks.

It was why Elaine's Military Career hopped on the fast-track with his.

It was why Overwatch turned to him.

He never backed down.

Heroes aren't supposed to do their 'expected' duties. Their job, is to do what they perceive to be 'right'. To protect the 'innocent' for the good of all or for some grand cause that he would never give a rat's ass about.

Heroes weren't the type to kill others because of orders.

Heroes don't execute those begging for mercy.

Heroes don't command men to their deaths without going out of their way to prevent it.

Heroes aren't Commanding Officers.

It's how it's always been.

Tracer was never assigned a Military Rank for a reason.

Her moral code would never allow her to become a good commanding officer.

Morrison, Reyes, and he, all fit the bill for being Fantastic Commanding Officers, simply because they knew the grim realities of war and never backed away from having to do what is needed.

Though that never really did any of them any good in the end.

Morrison ended up getting killed when HQ was blown up by Reyes.

Reyes' little power-grab with Blackwatch blows him up and... something happens because now he's walking around pretending to be Death Incarnate since he's the closest thing to it.

Wasser was killed in Operation: Epilogue because Reyes knew he wasn't the type to back down against Blackmail, Threats, or anything other than pure unbridled violence.

Ana Amari didn't fit in this equation, but such is the case in life.

Everything had outliers.

He frowned to himself, however, as something comes up in regards to outliers.

His tendency to serve as an anchor. The tendency to defend everyone, even if they can handle themselves.

...

Taking that bullet for Ziegler during the Attack despite the fact that it would've been nothing but a flesh wound to the left arm. The bullet did more harm to him than it would've managed to Angela.

Dragging Romana out of Berlin, with her kicking and screaming out of fury and pain from the wounds she got from her stupid fucking decisions... even if her stupid decisions ended up help turn the tides against the Omnics.

Taking the time to help Lena adjust to her sudden-newfound powers of time-warping despite the fact that he was supposed to spend that time investigating internal matters that may or may not have unveiled the threat of Blackwatch.

Disobeying a Canadian Officer's direct orders in order to assist a green-faced and traumatized Sergeant Harper and to pull her out of her reverie despite the fact that he could have left her to die. His actions risked the lives of his entire assigned squad when they had called for the Platoon's only-designated marksman, all so he could get a still-rookie Sergeant back into the fold and get over her shock after a close-encounter with a grenade, and 3 American Marines.

Disobeying the Prime Minister's orders during a Riot in Montreal on the dawn of the Crisis; all because he had witnessed children still-fleeing the angry and violent mob that was thrashing unarmoured officers with little remorse. His failure to enforce martial law immediately when the Mob got violent costed the lives of 4 Officers... 4 Veteran Officers who undoubtedly had family and friends to return to somewhere. He was nearly charged with treason for disobeying Federal Orders, and came extremely close to being Dishonourably Discharged in the process. The only thing that prevented it was the Crisis and the need for him.

...

Despite his firm belief that he was no Hero due to his beliefs and morality, his actions liked to dictate otherwise every now and then.

That was why Lena liked him so readily, and it was why Angela worried for him so often.

Despite his critical duties, and the fact that needless good-nature will only lead to harm to him, he still carries onwards, ever-intent on doing what he thought to be necessary or needed... even if it put him in harms way.

Lena thinks it heroic.

Angela thinks it as worrying.

They were both right in a way.

He returned back to his surroundings with a slight start when he realizes that he had gone completely silent.

Angela seemed to do the same too.

Seeing each other make the very subtle shift of 'getting back into it', they made eye contact.

No word was exchanged between either one of them, but they seemed to know what they both had seemingly thought of.

They shared a smile.

Whatever they both thought of before, seemed to not matter any longer.

After a few minutes of quietly smiling to themselves, she cleared her throat, "I have to say, Captain, I'm relatively surprised by what you had requested Torbjorn to build".

"Like the design?", he asked.

"It's... a little unorthodox. You're not Polish, correct?".

"Aye, I'm not Polish.

The Winged Hussar's Armour just happens to be the only armour from History for Cavalrymen that can really work with the Suit since it's the only design with wings".

"Why cavalrymen?".

"One of my Ancestors served under Marshal Ney of the French Empire; one of Napolean's Cuirassier's. An NCO, to be exact, he couldn't afford a commission.

Anyways, he was killed at the Battle of Waterloo.

His wife wrote in his journal that he was hit by a musket ball and was trampled to death by British Hussars. Not a pretty way to go, but that isn't too important.

He was a pretty well-regarded Cavalry Officer, and had quite a few kills under his name. Duke of Wellington took his sword and returned it to our family oddly enough, and since then we've been passing it down as a family heirloom.

My Ancestor is also part of the reason why everyone in the Wasser Line, at least one in each generation ended up joining the military... though that tradition goes further back to our oldest ancestor who was a Crusader... not Reinhardt's thing... but you-know, holy wars and what-not.

Whatever, I digress.

The Winged Hussar is the closest thing I have to pay homage to Lazarus James Wasser; which as you might've just pieced together, is who I'm partly named after since I'm Kyle Lazarus Wasser...

Though to also be fair: the armour's pretty spiffy looking, even if the helmet isn't true to the original style".

"It's certainly a sight".

"As it should be.

I want to make sure Reyes doesn't miss me.

 **Afterall,**

 **A RECKONING IS NOT TO BE POSTPONED INDEFINITELY** ".

...

...

 **South Korea, Busan; MEKA Headquarters, 4 Hours Later**

Lena's eyes looked around excitedly. Her body was animate, moving everywhere with eager blinks as she tried to get a peek at everything in the facility. She stopped before one of the in-maintenance MEKA Mechs and turned around.

Like a child to a parent, she points at it and catches his attention, "Luv! Look at these!".

"MEKA... Mechs", he frowned to himself when he realized the pain-in-the-ass it was to say it without nearly fumbling, "Twin Fusion Cannons, Jump Thrusters, and a semi-automated projectile defensive matrix.

Impressive piece of technology, but it's pitiful that such mechanations of war is manned by children".

He shook his head to himself.

Angela, however, noted aloud, "However, look at the brightside Captain, these mechs seem to be very well equipped to extend the survival of the pilot as well as the unit itself".

"Fair point... Though I still cannot take back my comment in regards to children manning this.

These should be manned by Military Officials, not Child-Video Gamers".

"I can answer that", the Korean Military Officer walking the group into the depths of the facility spoke up, "These Mechs require much more than combat sense. These Mechs require intense reflexes as well as tactical reflex in order to combat what you wish to discuss.

While our military men and women are very capable, the Government knows that they are not the best to pilot MEKA's Mechs.

Gamers have the physical reflex and tactical reflex needed to operate these against the Omnic Threat.. no one else.

A moment of hesitance can be death, thus they are the perfect people to call upon for this duty... Besides, they've worked well so far, have they not?".

"They've worked well enough to give you a stalemate", Kyle glowered at the official with the authoritive gaze he gave when operating as an Overwatch Captain, "They're clearly not good enough because you've failed to destroy the Omnic".

Winston hits him very discreetly and whispered, "Careful Captain, we need to secure allies, not make enemies".

"... Perhaps you may have a point", the Official concedes with an annoyed frown, "But you'd best learn to hold your tongue. You are still a guest within these halls".

Kyle only glared angrily at the Official's back.

He was annoyed to no bounds by how he had been treated when he first approached.

Suspicion, apathy, and a variety of other negative responses that did him great disservice.

 _Damn them_ , he thought, _Seoul wouldn't be standing if I hadn't stopped that Titan_.

To not even be granted some form of politeness pissed him to no bounds. While some would argue the Official has been fairly cordial, he didn't care for formal cordiallity, he was looking at belief and thought.

They didn't seem to believe who he was.

Even then, they seemed apathetic at best when they recognized them as Overwatch Agents.

Angela touched his shoulder, "They have every right to be suspicious and hostile".

He managed one last frown before continuing to follow.

But his mind decided to drift elsewhere and ignore everyone around him.

He remembered a few of the more climactic operations he had once partaken in during his stationing in Korea.

Talking about his Ancestor earlier had him thinking about climactic battles. Couldn't be helped since his Ancestor rode into the greatest battles of the Napoleanic Era at Napolean and Ney's behest.

He too, had rode into the greatest battles of the Crisis Era at Canada & Overwatch's behest.

Sierra-7's finest hours were moments that, had it been witnessed by anyone, would be the stuff for legends.

Impossible Last Stands; Defiance in the face of Death; Unwavering Wills in the inevitability of destruction.

Sacrifice in the time of need.

The Siege of Berlin: Sierra-7 was swept up in Romana's anger and found itself charging head-long into the thickest battles with little care for death. They were shot, mangled, severely wounded and countless other things, but they broke the Siege by serving as a rally.

The Invasion of Omnic-Occupied Beijing: Sierra-7 lead the charge in what was called a 'Forlorn Hope'. Caught in a horrendous choke; Sierra-7 and 2 other platoons charged into the choke and fought with tooth-and-nail to get a foothold and hold it off to buy time for Chinese & Overwatch Forces to push in without being ripped to shreds in the process.

The two other platoons were killed to the last man, but Sierra-7 only lost 3 souls that day; though many were wounded. He walked away with more bones in his body than a normal adult since many were fractured.

When Overwatch and Chinese forces managed to join and secure the Foothold as a Forward Operating Base; Morrison ordered him to be extracted.

He defied orders and instead lead another charge.

It was stupid. Reckless. Rebellious.

But most of all:

Ruthless.

His men were injured.

He was injured.

Ammunition had nearly run dry from being used to fight off the Omnic's attempts to retake the foothold.

But he ordered the charge because time was too precious to waste.

If they were extracted; Overwatch would lose the edge it had over the Omnics and be unable to punch through defensive lines before they're fortified. He pushed onwards, and found Reyes backed his play when Blackwatch Agents submitted themselves under his command.

Strange.

In conflict, only was Overwatch ever fully unified and 'in it together'.

...

...

" _Korea though, huh?_

 _Something tells me that today's gonna be a good day._

 _The Kind of Day that makes my name spread like wildfire._

 _Hear me now, and witness me._

 _Captain Wasser and Echo Squadron, Deploying_ ".

 **Busan, South Korea; MEKA Headquarter's Meeting Room, 30 minutes later**

"Many thought I was too young to take command. But they forget that I was born to rule in one capacity or another. My Family Line has always been Military as far as we can remember, and that will never change for as long as each generation has a male Wasser", he drummed his fingers impatiently on the mahogany table without moving his eyes away, "... Now, if you're done criticizing me for my former-age, I believe we have a more important matter to be attending to".

His fingers drummed the table impatiently, and his gray eyes cut through the Senior Korean Officers like a sword through flesh.

One of the older fellows cleared their throat and shuffled a few papers to ease their nerves before giving a firm nod, "Very well... to the matter at hand".

The table they were sitting at lit up, brought to life by the touch of the Officer's hand. Thousands of 3D blueprints shuffled and flew over the table in rapid succession.

He caught bare hints of them. One looked like an experimental aircraft, another an old blueprint of a rifle from the earlier portion of the 21st century, and one that looked like an altered blueprint of a commercial airliner.

Winston and the others watched the blueprints whizzed by with complete fascination. Technological wonders that were being created in tandem with other Nations within the UN were being shown to them albeit at an incredibly fast pace. Projects that were undoubtedly classified to the point where its clearance level was probably close to the Prometheus Project.

Angela's eyes sparkled with wonder and scientific curiousity as a few projects of a clearly-medical nature crossed through her vision in quick and periodical bursts. She tried to note down their designs, trying to understand what it might be in the few split-seconds she saw them... but she stopped quickly when she realized someone's eyes were sparkling.

It was Wasser's eyes... and they were not sparkling with wonder.

It sparkled with a sinister light.

She looked at him, and watched as his eyes sparkled... or rather shined in tandem with the changing of blue prints.

It almost as if he was taking mental images of it..

And that's when it clicks.

He _was_ doing exactly that.

Taking mental images of it by using his partnership with the two God Programs.

He was combining their processing speed with his acute perception to copy down the designs quickly.

Even as she openly stared, she felt as if he was not paying attention to any of his surroundings. If anything, he seemed dead-focused on the blueprints... as if he was trying his utmost to keep up with the sheer speed.

She felt conflicted by what he was doing.

What he was doing, was a clear infringement upon the authority and secrecy of the United Nations Council. He was taking notes on confidential information he was not supposed to have access to... then again.

She felt as if he couldn't really be blamed. A part of her would blame the Korean Officers more than him since they're showing sensitive data no matter how fast they're going through them... but then again, that might just be because they deeply respect the Captain's Actions during the Omnic Crisis and see no qualms with showing the blueprints.

Besides, she might be able to request access to the medical blueprints... then lecture him into deleting the confidential military stuff since it's dangerous knowledge to allow the God Programs to keep.

Within a minute, the big blueprint comes up and draws everyone's attention.

Wasser's eyes shined one last time with a devilish smirk upon his lips before the glow fades and a stern fire takes its stead within a moment of transition.

McCree gave a low whistle when the blueprint came up, "Now that's a big'un".

Wasser gave a long look, "... Maybe...".

"You seem familiar with it, Captain", Angela noticed.

"... I might've had to lead a Fleet against it in the past... maybe... but I can't remember if it was against a few Titan Omnics or if it really is this 'thing'", he rubbed his chin, "... I still never understood why I was assigned as the Coordinating Naval Officer considering I have no 'real' experience with a Military Navy... then again, I guess Amari and Morrison didn't have any experience either".

"... I really need to review your file one of these days, Captain...".

"Why would you do that, Winston?".

"... You've done so many things that it's hard to remember them all".

"Hardly matters. If you were trying to write a biography about me, you could just access the neural chip and pester the Programs to hand over some memories".

Programs... Memories.

A hot flash crossed his mind.

 **AND HE REMEMBERED.**

...

...

 _..._

"-tain?".

His right arm moved slightly, and his fingers twitched sporadically at the foreign presence pushing his arm. His eyes were open, and his senses were there; but everything felt like they were miles away. He blinked languidly, as though on the verge of sleep before slowing turning to face the voice.

With a voice that clearly showed that he was 'out of it', he acknowledged her, "Angela?".

His eyes began to regain focus; sharpening the details in his surroundings as the ever-insistent droning in the background begins to clear-up into a boring & winding speech around the mechanations that Korea had been fighting for the past decade or two.

Angela, probably the only person in the room save for him not paying attention to the explanation. She tilted her head slightly and leaned forward, "... Are you alright, Captain?".

"Why wouldn't I be?", he felt a ' _pop_ ' behind his eyes; causing his pupils to dilate and sharpen focus completely on everything before calming and receding back to normal standards.

"...", Angela's eyes sharpen in intensity as she stared into the depths of the fire in his eyes and beyond.

She gazed through the shrouding smoke behind the fire... beyond the omnipresent mirror that carefully concealed the inner workings of a terrible amalgamation of a mind. She looked past the apathy, past the safeguards that locked away the truth and gazed into what sat behind.

If she understands what she saw, he couldn't tell as she gave an imperceptible nod. She told him, "... You should never hide lapses in control from me, Captain".

"I didn't lose control", he frowned.

"Your Programs; while contained; should not be capable of rendering you inert and unconscious by trapping you in memories".

"It's always been like this".

"Then why have you never told me? I could have used the concern as legitimate grounds to deactivate the project under the risk of having another rogue element", she implored him for an answer.

He responded with nothing but silence, but he does frown a little deeper. After a few minutes of silence between the duo, he told her firmly: "That would never have been your decision... Overwatch needed War Machines, not Heroes or Run-off-the-Mill Upstart Officers... I knew I had to be the one".

"You are not a tool. You are a person as much as you were an Officer", she touched his forearm with her left hand discreetly, "... You think of it as a needed sacrifice, yet I believe it was unneeded".

"Perhaps Overwatch would've still ended the Crisis without me fighting like a War Machine", he conceded that much, "... but it stands that because they had people like me... people like Romana. War Machines that slaughtered Enemies enmasse with little care for self-preservation; a lot of people's lives were saved...

Simply because nobody else was needed to feed to the flames. We took that duty unto ourselves".

"You didn't need to do that, Captain".

"Sacrifice a few to save the lives of many. Any sensible person would do it".

"Someone else could have taken the mantel in your stead".

"Someone else would have failed", he told her. The conviction was strong as stone in his eyes, and she found no chance to retort, "Nobody in the World has ever been more willful than I have. My single-most useful factor in allowing neural interfacing with the God Programs: Is that I have always fought for my survival.

I did it in the Night Raids.

I did it in the Crisis.

I did it as a Revenant.

And I always will do it... at least the day finally comes I perish truely,

or the day comes I find a true reason to fight".

"...", Angela sagged, "... You are far too much of a pragmatist, Captain".

"I'm not pragmatic. I'm realistic", he gave her a weary smile, "That's why I've always done the impossible: I know I'm bound to die eventually; it's just a matter of time".

He turned away; ending the conversation abruptly.

...

Angela found herself exasperated by his responses and unwillingness to listen to her concerns. Furthermore, the worst part was that she knew he didn't truly believe everything he told her, but was saying it to evade her and throw her off.

It was the exact same back in the Omnic Crisis.

He always downplayed his injuries. He didn't tell her of his mental worries; even when it got to the point where everyone was concerned that he was on the verge of mentally breaking down. He refused to share his emotions, he always listened but never spoke openly to personal issues.

Don't get it wrong though, when she asked over mundane things like family and friends; he's more than glad to talk about his experiences... but he simply never shares how he feels about them, or the concern he felt.

Still.. maybe it wasn't an all bad thing.

Having to constantly work out Captain Wasser's state since he never made it obvious had made her fairly adept at reading him despite the difficulty for others. Where strangers would be able to read nothing from looking at him, she could discern his emotions well; a feat that could be considered 'incredible' considering how the Captain tries to maintain a facade of either apathy, compassion, or outright smart-ass sarcasm.

Still... now, seeing him much more vulnerable than before, she couldn't help but feel compelled to help him... though she's not sure if a lot of it stems from the 'Memory-Bond' that she subjected herself to, or if it was a genuine care.

Though perhaps... it never really mattered.

She cared. That much was true.

And that was probably all that mattered.

…

"-ed a plan if you're truly desperate enough to come to us in hopes of finding a permanent solution", Kyle frowned deeply.

His fingers drummed against the table impatiently, "MEKA Units, from what I've been able to observe; while nimble and capable of wearing down the Omnic... is not going to cut it.

If you truly want to strike a decisive and permanent blow; YOU need to change gears and go on the offensive.

You need to scramble Korea in its entirety and swarm the damn thing with everything you have. Fleets, Air Battalions, Bombing Runs, MEKA Strikes; every stupid fucking thing you can throw, you'll need to throw.

Because if what I've heard so far about this Omnic is true?

It's only a matter of time before Korea is wiped off the face of the Earth by it. And since your wear-and-tear tactics don't work since the damn thing just retreats and repairs itself somewhere in the bottom of the ocean beyond your reach, you need to wipe it out in a decisive battle".

"That's your best idea?".

"It's the only feasible one", he snarled, "Omnics fight rough. You take too much time fighting them, they'll adapt and wipe you out before you can win.

It's how the Omniums survived, it's how the God Programs worked, it's how the World was nearly eradicated".

"You would have us commit our entire military might against it? What if we are defeated?".

"Then Korea wasn't strong enough to survive", his words caused Winston to frown.

Winston warned him, "Captain, we are talking of the destiny of a Nation... not the fate of a Task Force. Perhaps these Tactics worked with Sierra-7, but it is not certified to work on a larger principal".

"It _will_ work", he retorts, "All or nothing. That's the only way to do it.

I crushed Omnic Occupations in my wake; captured entire Omnium Facilities with my tactics. There is few... or rather, none alive who are more capable in combating the Omnics than I. My Tactics are the best ones you have... because if you truly believed you had an alternative; You would have sought it out before".

Then, there was silence.

Reinhardt was nodding to the Captain's words.

Of course Lieutenant Wilhelm would agree; the Man was a Former-Crusader... the Stalwart Champions who sacrificed themselves to save the entirety of Germany from a rallied Omnic Offensive.

The Crusaders wielded no ranged weaponry save for their ability to launch firestrikes. They were men who fought their foes close-up with their rocket hammers and rocket-propelled charges. They never fought with any tactics save for head-on attacks.

And that was why the Crusaders worked so well even if they died out.

They defended those that stood behind them, and they took the brunt of the wounds when they charge head-long into the Omnic Ranks.

So he sympathized and resonated well 'all-or-nothing' but still head-on.

…

Winston, looked less enthused.

Lena and Angela too.

The trio didn't like the idea of so many risking severe injury, nor did they enjoy the notion that Korea had to do an all-or-nothing bid in order to survive. It was a very fatalistic view... something that didn't sit well with Lena and Winston. It was also ruthless... something that definitely didn't sit well with all three.

…

He waited, undeterred by the harsh stares and unwavering in the face of stiff resistance. He never backed down... never something he did. He always tackled his problem head-on, and he never backed out once he got in.

It was always a big game of poker... where every bet is all in.

Ignoring the fact that he's lost one bet that costed him everything; it tends to work out in his favor because few people have the balls to face him.

And those that do? Well, they tend to be no match for him.

"... We need an hour to discuss your... 'suggestion'", a strained smile was provided with the request.

He gave them a Soldier's sardonic grin, "Take your time. Wouldn't want you making the wrong decision".

"... I think we would like to continue this discussion with the ability to discuss your tactical history with your peers...", they glance at the Overwatch Members around him, "... preferably without your presence".

"So you just want me out of the room?". 

"T-That's not what we me-".

"Relax. I'm used to it. I wasn't invited to a lot of the Overwatch High-Officer Meetings, and the Prime Minister never liked me being around during National Meetings", he stood up, "Though... I feel the need to do something very uncharateristic of me".

"And what is that?".

"I demand a meeting with your MEKA Pilot: Hana Song. Intelligence gathering on my part has uncovered the fact that you've given her access to my military files".

"... I'll have her alerted", they relent.

"Good", he stood up promptly before noting aloud, "Colour me impressed though: I hadn't expected the Canadian Government to provide an unedited, full profile to the Korean Military. It's very... dangerous", he flashed a grin, "... The kind of dangerous that gets people screaming for a new Leader...".

"... Very dangerous words", Winston warned him, "... I hope you're not alluding to something".

"I don't allude, I forbode", he chuckled with a dark grimace, "Don't sweat the details, it's still a long ways off... Now, where would I meet your Ace?".

"We'll have an Escort Team take you to her directly".

"Good".

…

…

…

 **Hana Song's Quarters, a few minutes later**

He stared at her.

She stared at him.

His eyes stared openly at the skintight uniform.

Her eyes stared blatantly at the his hard features.

His lip curled in distaste at what he saw, her lip curled in a grimace when she realized that he wasn't quite what she envisioned him to be.

…

He stared at the curves accentuated to his eyes by the skintight uniform she was wearing. It looked... uncomfortable, to say the least. He grimaced to himself at the thought of having to wear skintight clothes himself...

The uncomfortable feeling of having his crotch crushed in a vice confine, with its shape openly shown to anyone who had the audacity to look down. He winced to himself in silence at the mental image, but turned his attention back to the unexpected show.

The skintight suit... even if it was something he disapproved of, was still very... appealing to him considering he was still a straight man. Perhaps an apathetic straight man with no care for romance, but still a straight man.

Though, as he looked at her proportions, he found himself disappointed.

I mean, sure, she had curves and she had her womanly appeal!

But the problem was...: She felt like a kid to him. Too young? At least that's what it felt, though that's probably because of his own age. He didn't really find as much pleasure in her form as most others probably would.

But then that presented him with a dilemma...

What the hell _does_ he find attractive?

Angela Ziegler came to mind... his Lieutenant and Elaine did too...

But in that strange moment of rare interest in the womanly form, he realized an alarming, minute detail that would normally never bother anyone else.. .

Why did Angela come to mind first? Before Elaine and his Lieutenant, no less?

Why the Swiss Doctor who was no more than a Colleague... perhaps an Confidante in the past?

Why not the Canadian General he had devoted half his life to? Why not the woman he saved, the woman he adored, the woman who claimed his heart first?

Or why not his Lieutenant, the German Prodigy? The woman who followed him to Hell and Back? The one who understood him like no other, simply because she was like him in more ways than he could count? Why not his Greatest Mistake, and his biggest Motivation for redemption?

He bitterly frowned to himself, ignoring Hana and his surroundings altogether as introspection hits its crescendo.

…

Was it because of Angela's bodily proportions? He frowned to himself, " _I never saw her naked or anything of the sort... Perhaps it's the maturity despite the fact that she's younger than me?_ ".

While the typical 'poster girl' most people would think of tends to be either Lena (Who he admits to be attractive), Hana, or even Captain Amari in her prime, many people seemed to overlook Angela... which was a bit of a shame considering the Doctor, in his opinion, was a very attractive woman.

Perhaps it wasn't apparent because of the fact that the Valkyrie Suit in the past distorted/masked her proportions slightly. Perhaps it was simply because people wanted to not ignore the obvious blonde-caucasian choice that tends to pop up.

Thank God for his perceptive eyes in any case; it was the main reason why he was able to discern her features so well despite the fact that she had a tendency to wear clothes that masked bust.'

He swallowed his saliva as his thoughts begin to helplessly wonder to the naked female forms he knew well.

Romana and Harper.

…

…

He looked into the invisible horizon, eyes distant and misty as he drowned in pleasures of the flesh that was engraved into his mind. The distant memories of sweat, moans, gasps, and other sensations danced through his memory.

And in this moment of distant memories, Hana had her chance to form an opinion off of what she was seeing.

She asked him, "Kyle Wasser?".

He snaps out of it when she called him out without rank, "Yes?".

"...", Hana's astonishment was apparent. She blinked and had a moment of stunned silence before asking, "... Are you not supposed to be dead".

He grimaced, "Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated".

"I thought you'd be taller".

"And I thought you'd be wearing something that didn't emphasize your sexuality in the most obvious way possible", he didn't hide his glance, "Skintight Uniforms may look spiffy in a film, but it's absolutely useless in Military Conflict. What good is a skintight suit when you get shot? At least wear some form of protection".

She frowned, "Hey... my fans like it", she covered her body from his eyes, "And stop perving!".

"...", he seemed disappointed from what she could gather. He muttered under his breath, "This is South Korea's best? A mere child".

"I heard that!".

"Good", his gaze turns to stone and she could feel an invisible eminence begin to push upon her shoulders, "You are apparently the Best South Korea has, yet you are naught but a child. Is my premonition of Korea's doom perhaps founded then? Is your nation really doomed to fall to that Omnic?".

"I'll take that as a compliment!", she grins victoriously with an abruptness that made him pause.

He blinked, a little stunned with just how... childish she acted.

It was like she _knew_ how to make him pause: To return his bluntness and abrasiveness with a similar one of her own.

"... How would you take what I just said as a compliment? I called you a child, and I said my intuition indicates your country has an inevitable demise to the Omnics", his gaze loses the weight and gains a curiousity.

"Hah!", she let out a cheerful little noise that reminded him a bit of a Happy Lena, "You calling me young just points out how great I must be if I'm South Korea's best!".

He frowns, "I never stated that South Korea's best that high up to begin with".

"It doesn't change the fact that you acknowledge me as the Best South Korea has to offer", she still seems unperturbed despite the ambiguity of his statement, "Secondly, nobody's 100% correct. Your intuition is probably wrong".

"Probably?", he cocked an eyebrow.

"I can't say we'll win, but I know we have a chance", she then teases, "Besides! I'm Number One! And I play to win!".

"... Fascinating", sarcasm drips from his words, "With someone like you at the helm, I guess South Korea will just stomp the Omnics and win this".

"Right?", she ignores the sarcasm and is keeps up the whole all-smiles act, "So, tell me Mister Wasser: How come you never took the job offer for the Entertainment Industry?".

"Excuse me?", he frowns.

"You know? The offer for Modeling?", she's still all-smiles, "You graduated and you had a scholarship and a few offers for Modeling. You turned them down. Why?".

"I wasn't the type to take photos", she could feel a wariness enter his voice... he was getting vigilant and on his guard around her, "... How the hell do you know about that?".

"I'm an Actress!", she states it like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "I've met and worked with plenty of people! When I asked them about you, a few of them mentioned sending you job offers!".

"... Why were you asking about me?".

"Anyways! A little birdie tells me that you're working with Overwatch again", did she just ignore his question?

Swept away by her energy, and perhaps a little too annoyed to be answering questions for her, he quickly explains, "I'm working with Overwatch in order to hunt and kill Reaper, the World's Most Wanted Terrorist for personal reasons. Furthermore, I'm working Covertly to undermine and destroy another... Terrorist Cell of unparalleled danger that the world is unaware of.

For your safety and for the sake of my sanity, I won't talk about them other than the fact that I used to serve as their leader".

She gives a thoughtful nod.

They didn't talk further, not when he gets called for by a Korean Junior Officer who appears from nearby.

"Captain Wasser?", he tensed and turned, "They've come to an accord. You can return now".

He gave a nod before turning to Hana and giving a curt nod to her, "I suppose that ends this interaction for the time being.

Do try and be discreet with the information you have. If people were to find out, I'm afraid I would be teased endlessly about it".

He began to walk away, coat fluttering with each step. He cracked his neck with a sigh and squared his shoulders, straightened his back, and did his utmost to exude authority.

It works as he notices the Officer straightens and sharpens their stance appropriately.

Hana called out, "Are you going to be staying long, Mister Wasser?".

"Just 'Captain' or 'Wasser' will do", he glanced back to her for a moment before giving her one-last look over.

His mind grinds the gears together as the God Programs tune with hins ingenuity to run through a few possible scenarios. The possibilities are theoretically endless, but by putting up a few 'parameters', he was able to get a general idea.

He grinned like a wolf, "... Say... Miss Song, would you care to accompany us to the meeting? I think it would benefit the both of us if we were to be present".

She blinks, "There's a meeting?".

"Oh yes, that's why I'm here in Busan", he gestures with his hand airily, "We're discussing the O-".

"The Information is confidential, and Miss Song lacks clearance to join the Meeting", the Officer fixes their collar absentmindedly.

"Then why the hell do I have Clearance?".

"That's because you're part of Overwatch", the Officer says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Kyle blinked, and a scheming light gleams in his eye for a moment before he asks, "So... theoretically, if I make the formal request of having Miss Song join Overwatch as it stands to assist in the recall... she would gain the clearance required to join the meeting, no?".

"...", their eyes sharpen on him as the Devil turns to Hana.

He asks her, "Miss Hana Song; You may have heard the rumors, so let me confirm what you're thinking.

Overwatch is being reformed despite the UN's lack of support... or just the lack of support, period.

Overwatch has plans to finally shut down the threats that have emerged and grown in prominence ever since our collapse: Including the Omnic that threatens South Korea, Talon, the Terrorist Cell I mentioned, and numerous other threats that may pop up across the globe.

I won't lie, as things stand currently, we're no better than a Mercenary Company due to the lack of international support. We're hired by Organizations and Companies seeking an end to a threat that has harmed Humanity, and we do the work for them.

We're undermanned, understaffed, lack a true central leadership figure aside from Winston, and could probably stand to do a lot better", he cracked a self-depreciating smile, "However, we're probably the best chance the World has in mitigating another Omnic Crisis...at least mitigating another full blown one".

He gestures airily once again with his hands, "I'd like to extend an offer of membership to you.

Seeing as you're South Korea's Best, and knowing that you're probably bored out of your mind despite the occassional battle with a giant omnic, I'm offering you not only a membership, but a chance to fight all over the world.

There's never an enemy that Overwatch isn't fighting at one point or another, which makes it so that fighting is in abundance for all of us. Furthermore, you may even enjoy the companionship of some of our other members like Tracer, Winston, Reinhardt... some of the Original Officers during Overwatch's Golden Years.

Even with the Golden Years behind us... and with Overwatch having hit rock-bottom, I'd say you should join.

Why?

Because when you hit rock-bottom, there's nowhere to go but up".

Hana looked impressed by his speech. A curl of a smile was tugging on her lips, but before she responded with an affirmative or a negative, she was stopped by him.

He told her, "Don't answer immediately. Take the time to think over the offer. And just to clear up any worries you may have: Even if you joined Overwatch, you are still technically a part of MEKA. By affialiating and becoming a Member, you do not lose your prior position.

For example, Me, when I joined Overwatch as a Commissioned Captain, I still retained my Rank of Lieutenant-Colonel within the Canadian Military.

It applies with everyone, so if you ever get tired of Overwatch or disagree; you could leave and return to your old life readily. There's no point fighting a battle when you don't want to fight to begin with".

He nodded to the Korean Officer, "Lets go. She's with me now as a Recruitment Prospect. Besides, I'm sure we'll need to discuss with your Superiors in regards to her recruitment".

…

…

"You're stupid and suicidal", Kyle cursed aloud with a growl, "But if that's the best we could manage, then I fucking guess Korea's Best Chance of Survival now depends on a small company rather than the entirety of Korea's Military".

"We're well aware of the weight behind the issue we're discussing", the Senior Officer fixed his glasses, "But you must understand: we can't risk an all-out assault. Should we succeed yet expend our considerable military against the Omnic; we run the risk of being invaded by North Korea, or some Foreign Power".

"Fine", Kyle grows silent as the years of worrylines become apparent on his forehead, "... Overwatch'll need to build its strength up to compensate for the lack of military support; and we'll have to get the cooperation of various other nations to hopefully build a sizable force to face the Omnic...

But this is why I have also come back with a formal request".

"...", they glance at Hana, who gives a cheery wave and wink.

"I'd like to request Hana Song as South Korea's Liason with Overwatch by having her join Overwatch formally", he ignores everyone's surprise and leans forward, "I believe by having Hana Song along with her personal Mech within our ranks, she can serve as an invaluable liason and agent in strengthening Overwatch and getting Foreign Aid in the inevitable showdown we seem to be preparing for".

"De-".

"Actually", he fixes on a wolfish smile, "This is Miss Song's choice", he turned on his heel pointedly and nodded to Hana, "... If you'd be so kind as to give me an answer?".

She switches to Korean and looks upon her superiors with a smile, "I'd like to accept his offer".

They reply in Korean, "We can't just let you leave us. Do you understand the ramifications to our MEKA Unit should you leave?".

He interjected in Korean, "There would be _no_ ramifications. She isn't going to leave MEKA by joining Overwatch. Should any urgent matters come up that requires her presence, whether it be as a MEKA Pilot or as an Overwatch Liason, she'd be dispensed as soon as possible.

I'm not ghosting in to snatch your best soldier for the sake of building up Overwatch, I'm simply requesting for them to accept membership and to join us on an Operational Basis".

"She would be far from South Korea, no?", the Officer asked him.

"Perhaps", his stoicism kicks in (There's also now a Cow somewhere in the room), "But it doesn't mean she won't be able to assist. The only effect this should have to MEKA, is that your Ace won't be readily available".

"Which is why we cannot allow it!".

"... Are all your MEKA Pilots save for her shit?", he asked.

"No! Of course not! They're all very capable!".

"Then there should be no issue with her not being immediately available! She'll still be part of your Roster, and you can call on her, but it's just that it'll take a day or two for her to come!".

"That's the issue!".

"What the hell do you mean that's the issue! Korea's not going to just blowover and disappear in a day or two!", his temper was beginning to flare, "I don't see how this is such a big deal!".

"And what if the Omnic attacks abruptly? What will we do without one of our best pilots around?".

"One Person may win a battle, but they sure as hell ain't going to win a war", he frowned, "If that Omnic attacks abruptly; trust me, you'd have bigger concerns on your mind rather than the fact that one of your _many_ aces aren't available".

"B-".

"Jesus Christ you're clingier than my Ex", he casually referred to Romana, "If Canada; during the Omnic Crisis, with the risk of utter annihilation was willing to provide Overwatch with one of its most competent leaders when they needed them the most...

Then Korea, if it's even half as competent/capable as Canada, should be willing/capable of surrendering one of their Best Fighters over to an Organization.

Even then, you'd at least have ready access to them! 

Canada gave me over to Overwatch, and retained no authority over me in the process! They couldn't call me back even if they wanted after they dispatched me!".

There's a silence in the wake of his little rant. Hana and the rest of Overwatch looked surprised by his seemingly anger-induced outburst, yet the Officers seemed the most flustered out of everyone in the room.

They sat there, flabbergasted as they looked at each other and at Captain Wasser in kind.

Perhaps it was his rant that pushed them over the edge, or maybe it was a weariness from having to put up with him.

Either way... they are forced to give him and Hana just what they wanted, "... Very well... Hana Song shall act as the South Korean Liason within Overwatch; retaining the power to withdraw her on short notice should an urgent matter requiring her presence comes up".

Hana gave the victory sign alongside with a victorious smile, "Aww Yeah!'.

He seemed pleased too, though it's hard to tell considering the only thing that changes is that the anger and fires in his eyes disappear. His stance softens too, but his guard is kept up, "Good".

He then glanced to Angela with a little teasing smirk, "Seems I have a talent for recruiting Women into Overwatch".

Winston blinked a few times before stuttering out a thanks to the Korean Officers before turning to Wasser and using sign language to communicate quickly, " _How did you do that?_ ", he asked.

Kyle returned the sign language readily with practiced motions, a benefit from having God Programs inside his head, " _I'll teach you a few negotiation tricks when we get back_ ".

" _I'd like to learn tricks that don't involve intimidating_ ", Winston signs.

Kyle chuckled before signing back, " _Just don't do half of what I teach you! In all seriousness, I'll show you the Psychological Aspect of Negotiating_ ".

By that, he was referring to reading People's movements and speech patterns in order to deduce their standings and how to exercise logic to create compelling and persuasive arguments to win things to your favor.

The only reason why he knew how to do any of that, was because in order to truly intimidate people; you needed to understand how they tick and how they were feeling in order to pick an approach to intimidation.

For example, you could intimidate people who are calm and calculated by 'cornering' them both figuratively and literally. Though to be fair, most intimidation tactics are universal, there's still times when certain tactics are better.

You could only intimidate people who are out of their minds by getting violent and manhandling them to force them to submit.

Intimidating Cowards is just plenty of threats to succeed alongside a menacing glare.

See? He knew how to frighten people!

He sat down, back by Angela's side.

As the meeting begins to return to its prior discussion past his plan: which was to discuss the history of the Omnic itself, he found himself distracted when a pleasant scent hits his nose.

He had smelt it earlier on today, but he didn't pay it much mind since he was too busy mentally rehearsing his plans on what to say during the meeting. Now that things were moving into areas where he didn't really need to listen at all, he was taking the time to just... soak in his surroundings.

He sniffed at the air a few times and smelt a scent of a field of flowers with just the barest tinge of medical alcohol.

The last scent was a dead giveaway, and he turned to the Good Doctor next to him.

He had expected for her to be focusing in on the meeting, but found himself surprised when he turned and met her gaze abruptly.

Surprise registered with Angela immediately, and he was sure this was going to go all cliché and shit with blushing and avoiding gazes, but he prevents all that by cutting her off, "What's this perfume? It's new. You normally smell like Mint, not flowers... by the way, I can still smell Medical Alcohol".

She blinks.

Then, with a tentative whisper, she asked him, "... You remember my scent?".

"That sounds creepy", he frowns, "You make me sound like a stalker or a creeper... or a dog... all of which don't please me.

I digress.

Yes: I remember your scent. Your office and quarters normally smells like it".

"... But why remember my smell?".

"Unless you want me to rattle on about how you've gotten just a smidge more pudgy in certain 'areas' on your body, smell's probably the most flattering-creepy detail I can focus on", he airily replies, "Besides, I was fairly differential to the Mint smell personally. Not sure about this 'field of flowers' smell... makes you feel too... 'girly' ".

She mocks being offended, "Too girly, Kyle?".

"Or rather too... young?".

"Are you calling me old!?".

"No, you dummkopf", he frowns, "It makes you feel less mature. You exude maturity, but this smell just kinda fights the whole image... reminds me too much of High School Girl and not much of Professional Doctor Chick".

"...", she hesitates.

She curses herself slightly and frowns momentarily before asking with trepidation, "... D-Do you prefer me to smell more m-mature?".

"Honestly? I do", he seems to miss the hint that her question practically points to by rattling off, "Though that may be because my previous partners were all 'mature' in one way or another.

Elaine was cool and aloof like me.

Cilcia was hot-headed and dedicated...

Though some would argue Cilcia was also pretty childish", he frowned to himself and went silent.

His complexion seemed to pale slightly, but just barely. A glint crosses his eyes before he mused aloud, "... Or maybe it's me who's childish", then the glint happens again, "No matter".

He looked at her seriously, "... Yes, I can confirm that I very much prefer the 'mature' angle with you".

Angela gave a little nod of acceptance... though this time, she was trying her best to not seem flustered by his oddly-serious yet strangely-straightforward response.

He stares at her face for a while. Seriousness was etched deeply into his features... though that's a given since he wasn't really a 'Joker' ever since Operation:Epilogue.

He was reading for something that she couldn't understand. He was staring beyond her soul, emotions, and everything that made her mortal. It was like he was trying to glimpse at an eternity beyond that she possessed.

He stared for a long while, tuning out from the rest of the room in the process as his eyes process information in silence. She could see his mind racing with the God Programs to understand what he was looking at...

Whatever he did see, and whether or not he understood it; it gave him a conclusion that satisfied him with a small imperceptible nod. He murmured quietly under his breath before lowering his head to her differentially, "... I'll be under your care".

She was surprised by his response.

So then, eager to understand just what the hell he saw, she tried imitating what he did. She stared at him, but not at _him_ , but at _**him**_.

She gazed into the eternity beyond him. Into the void he was, and into the depths of hell he came forth from. She looked into the trail he has blazed, and to the future he promised.

Whatever she saw or thought, only she was privy to it. But a little glimmer of understanding covered her eyes momentarily before she gives a small nod, "... And I'll be under yours".

…

…

" _It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways_ "

 _Buddha_

 **Watchpoint: Northern Atlantic, 10 Hours Later, in the Mess Hall**

He was quietly chewing away at his food in the corner of the room when his lonesome silence was interrupted by the raucous laughter and chatter of his colleagues entering. He puts down the fork for a moment to glance at the doorway where the others had walked in, but then returns to his meal without interest.

If they notice his presence, they don't show it.

Not that he's interested in being noticed. He'd just get flak from everyone once again for his meal... which was just a standard issue MRE he took from storage.

It was a little ridiculous, admittedly, to be eating MREs (Most of which aren't exactly tasty) when frozen and instant food was available (Which tasted better, albeit many would argue it might be worse). Not to mention, the others made supply runs to nearby Villages, Towns, and the like to pick up fresh food whenever it was possible; yet even then he stuck to his MREs stubbornly.

It was just a compulsive habit he picked up from the military; a habit of always eating MREs in the place of real meals. It always felt to him that they didn't stuff him heavily and still satisfied the vague feelings of hunger he rarely felt.

He was nibbling away at his meal, when he noticed the red alarm go off from his Datapad's screen. Frowning, he sets the fork down before peering at his datapad.

A message was received.

…

…

 _Dear Revenant,_

 _It would seem that you have succeeded the mission we have assigned to you. Despite the fact that you have failed to prevent the theft of the Nuclear Explosive, you have succeeded on our mission's parameters of preventing Talon from succeeding._

 _Though of course, your failure to prevent the theft means that the Revenants now possess a Thermonuclear Device. Even if the end result is not ideal, it still is a success as the Revenants are not as set on 'Terror' compared to Talon._

 _Still, this unexpected result to the mission will cause pause amongst our numbers in regards to supporting Overwatch's potential resurrection. However, we digress, you have done the mission as we requested, and thus you shall be awarded appropriately._

 _We have reason to believe that one of Talon's Leaders, Doomfist (You may be unfamiliar with this persona for we have no records of you ever fighting him. Ask your colleagues) may have recently broken out of detainment and has plans to steal the Doomfist Gauntlet during its transport to the Numbani Heritage Museum this upcoming Saturday._

 _While we have no information as to who will be part of this attempt, the threat of Doomfist's Gauntlet being stolen and returned back to a Terror Agent spells nothing but bad news for Numbani and the world as a whole._

 _Furthermore, it'd strengthen Talon, which is something Overwatch must prevent considering it's duty to protect the world and uphold the peace._

 _We have received information from Investigators and Discreet Agents that a small Helix Security Force has been contracted to assist in the Transport. **Fareeha Amari** , the Daughter of **Captain Ana Amari** is leading this Security Force._

 _This means that the **Anubis God Program Containment** will be defended by an underequipped force that may be unable to properly contain the Program should an outside force attack it._

 _As such, we have two objectives for you this time._

 _ **1 = Send a Small Force to assist in the Transport of The Doomfist Gauntlet; ensuring it is successfully transported to the Museum.**_

 _ **2 = Send the remainder of Overwatc to assist in the Guard of the Anubis God Program until Helix is able to reinforce themselves properly**._

 _We look forward to seeing your success._

 _Your Benefactors_ '.

…

"Benefactors my ass", he mumbled with a frown, "Out of the Breach and right back into it".

He took a glance around before giving a dejected look at his MRE, "... Sorry Buddy, guess I lost my appetite with the new missions".

No rest for the wicked.

He began to ponder the different advantages of assigning who to where to ensure the most effective team compositions.

He soon managed to create a stable team that he figured would be more than capable of handling their missions.

Of course, this leaves him with a dilemma.

"... Who the hell am I accompanying?".

…

…

 **Author's Note – And that's this chapter!  
**

 **Sorry if this one took a while, been fairly busy since I got flown out to visit some Family in Asia; having to do Driver's Ed and Driving Lessons back in Canada, and my Birthday having passed on the 3rd.**

 **Hope this Chapter didn't suck ass for all of you.**

 **Anyways, time for the fun part!  
**

 **POLL TIME!**

 **You have two Options.**

 **Option 1 – Captain Wasser decides to accompany Angela, Reinhardt, Torbjorn and Genji on their Mission to prevent the Theft of the Doomfist Gauntlet.**

 **( + Relations with: Angela, Widowmaker, Pharah )**

 **( - No Possible Recruitment )**

 **Option 2 – Captain Wasser decides to accompany Hana, Lena, Winston, Zenyatta, and McCree on their Mission to safeguard the Anubis God Program whilst Helix Security is hired out**

 **( + Relations with: Hana, Lena, Cilcia )**

 **PLEASE NOTE:**

 **Angela (Mercy) is on the verge of starting her Arc.**

 **If Option 1 wins, Mercy gets locked in as Captain Wasser's Partner and her Arc begins; locking out any possible romantic developments with the other Love Interests until her Arc ends.**

 **[ Relations with other Characters can still go up, but it won't matter much other than serving as a way for me to keep track of what characters are popular for the story ]**

 **If Option 2 is chosen, Angela isn't locked in, but it cancels out her Winning-Streak, resetting the Romance Counter for the story since it means someone else has to win the polls 3 times in a row.**

 **CURRENT ROMANTIC SCORES**

 **Angela Ziegler – 2 ( = Current Favoured Romance) [ON THE VERGE OF ROMANCE]**

 **Lena Oxton – 1**

 **Cilcia Romana – 0**

 **Amelie Lacroix – 0**

 **Hana Song – 0**

–

 **Anyways, there should be a Poll set up on my Profile for you vote on, though I guess it's fine if you just post your choice in the Reviews too.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the Chapter,**

 **And until next time!**

 **Goodnames-alltaken**

 **P.S – Semi-disappointed that Terry Crews didn't get to voice Doomfist, but I have no qualms with the current guy... Though the Doomfist in the story might be voiced by Terry Crews instead.**


	13. Chapter 13 - Man of War

" _So..._

 _Is it Nuhmbani, or Noombani?_

 _I already hate this place, even more so when you told me that the Tin-cans have equal rights here._

 _Tell Angela I'm going to get changed and to not open the Bathroom. Winston broke the locks when he tried to squeeze in earlier_ "

Captain Wasser upon hearing of Numbani from Genji

 **Numbani, En Route to the Heritage Museum**

"So this is Doomfist's Gauntlet?", he stared at it with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, "... How needlessly flashy".

"You don't seem impressed".

"Could easily be more powerful if the 'flash' factor was foregone. Hell, a lot of things are like that..." , he looked distant for a moment.

"Says the Man wearing Modenrized Cavalry Armour".

He casts Angela a little frown before turning his eyes back to the gauntlet.

Taking the lull in their banter to her advantage, she gave him a glance.

He was wearing a near-perfect replica of the Polish Winged Hussar's Armour.

The style of plating was different in that the Torso; instead of being styled with various different plates, consisted of a single metal cuirass similar to that of a Cuirassier. He was clearly wearing blue and white underneath as the coat beneath sticks out from the Cuirass.

He didn't wear the Winged Hussar's Helmet however, instead he was wearing a plumed cavalry helmet similar to that of a French Cuirassier/English Royal Horse Guard. His face was obscured with a mask depicting a skull's lower jaw.

His gray eyes were not hidden however, and she felt the entirety of gaze fall upon her when he looks at her, curious.

She blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

So he blinks after her and opens his mouth to speak... and actually says something, "Well? I see you're finally soaking in the armour. What do you think?".

She simply looked him over again and nodded a few times to herself... muttering indecipherably. He cocked an eyebrow that was hidden in the shadow of the helmet before musing aloud, "What a fascinating thought, Angela. I agree, 100%, and in no way am I sarcastic nor am I mocking you for being silent despite my previous indication that I was interested on listening to your opinion".

Angela snapped out of it in an instant and stammered some excuse, "M-My Apologies, I was deep in thought".

" _Clearly_ ", he rolled his eyes to himself before shrugging, "I'll just ignore your apathy to the design then. Reinhardt already commented his approval and Phoenix stared a little too hard when we were leaving...

Though that reminds me", he shifts uncomfortably, "Torbjorn made the crotch area a little too tight for my liking. Feels like the family jewels are being crushed in a vice".

Angela turned red as a rose shortly after his complaint. A little nervous laughter lilted from her lips and her eyes darted around unsurely like a schoolgirl.

"Hm?", there was a questioning grunt shortly before something hard taps his lower back, "Did you say my name?".

He turned and faced Torbjorn, who slowly retreats his hand back with the hammer, "Yeah, the crotch-guard on the armour's a little tight for me... Funny part is this also happened to the Officer's Armour when I first got it".

"Again?", Torbjorn scratched his head before nodding slowly, "I'll make the adjustments when we return. As it stands, I take it it won't hinder your ability to fight?". 

"Unless I get punched in the dick, I don't think it'll affect me whatsoever", he shifts awkwardly.

"That's good. It isn't exactly a big target", Torbjorn chortles out a laugh.

Angela just looked like a fish out of water when she heard Torbjorn's joke.

He casted Angela an amused glance, picking up on her discomfort before replying to Torbjorn, "You're not exactly a big target either, Torby".

"You're not denying you have a small package then?", Torbjorn seems to ignore his comment on his height.

Kyle responds flatly, "I leave that to my partners to decide".

"You'll have to teach me how you do that flat attitude of yours, Captain", Torbjorn points at his carefully neutral expression, "You're the only emotionless golem I've ever met".

"My secret is three decades of mass-scale terror, cult-leadership, and more than a few suicide attempts when I wasn't being the slave to a whimsical partnership with God Programs", it was a joke despite the hardening of his eyes.

Torbjorn and Angela though, definitely don't catch the joke. They looked awkward after his comment, and other than exchanging glances and looking at him strangely, remained silent. He stared back flatly before telling them, "That was a joke. Did my stoicism not enhance it?".

They both relaxed immensely when he said it was a joke.

Torbjorn gave a dry laugh as he began to shimmy away, "We'll have to work on your jokes, Captain".

"... Okay", he replies flatly.

Torbjorn escapes his presence, leaving Angela alone with the Captain once more.

He looks to her, "... So...".

Angela catches on and turns her body towards him before looking off, down the road in the general direction of the massive banner hanging overhead that was promoting a Concert of some Brazilian Popstar he gave no-shits about.

He turned with her and looked off in the same direction she did. Angela spoke up after a few seconds of silence, "... Is it not strange?".

He glanced at her from the corner of his sight, "What do you mean?".

She steps a little closer and spoke more quietly, "Is it not strange that Overwatch began to fall apart after Operation Epilogue?".

He frowned, because he understood the weight of what she was suggesting.

She was implying in some way, that his death was the beginning of Overwatch's collapse... something he didn't agree with.

He shook his head slightly, "It's strange if it did began with Operation Epilogue... because I believed Overwatch began to fall apart the moment we ended the Omnic Crisis and began cleaning up after the Mess and Stragglers left in the Omnic Crisis' wake".

She looked surprised and glanced to him, "You believed Overwatch began to fall apart that early on?".

"I know it began to fall apart that early on", he gives a bitter scowl, "The moment the U.N showed off the statue of Morrison, I knew it was the beginning of the end".

"... How?".

"Because I knew Reyes didn't like being in Morrison's shadow", he looked up towards the sky, "To be fair, Reyes never liked Morrison ever since he took command of Overwatch after the Organization was given a massive funding increase and authority for conscription of Global Officers.

That's because Reyes was the original leader when Overwatch was still an Experimental Task Force, yet he wasn't selected when the Overwatch was approved fully and instead Morrison was.

I'd be pissed off too if I was him, but I doubt I'd ever conspire so heavily nor would I care so much as to harbour such animosity against a Superior Office... though maybe I would considering my animosity to Jeremy".

"Jeremy?".

"Prime Minister of Canada. We went to High School together. Don't worry about it", he shook his head.

Now wasn't the place or time to bring up old feuds... at least not his feuds.

Angela grew silent after his comments on Reyes and Morrison. Then... with trepidation she told him, "... I...".

"You sensed the animosity too, no?", he gave her a wry smile, "I knew you would. You're one of the few people who can read me, you'd naturally be able to read the tension between Reyes and Morrison.

In which case, I don't think the Overwatch Civil War was much of a surprise for you".

"... I was surprised that Reyes went as far as he did... I had hoped that my efforts would have mitigated full-out conflict... I had hoped that he would have simply quietly left or resigned... not start a Rebellion", she gave a bitter smile.

He chuckled quietly, "Reyes and Morrison were set on a collision course. There was nothing you could do".

"Nothing I could do?", she frowned, "I could have prevented the deaths had I done something more!", she nearly shouts.

He frowns at her, and fixes her with a cold glare, "You should have done something more, sure, but you couldn't do anymore without breaking your morals.

You're a pacifist... or at least you try to avoid violence, am I not right?".

She shirked in his gaze, but she answers sheepishly, "...Y-Yes".

"Unless you put a bullet into Reyes head or Morrison's head at the time, there was nothing more to be done", he shook his head, "Violence was inevitable. I was surprised that it was the entirety of Blackwatch that rebelled, but maybe I'm not surprised since Blackwatch always felt like the 'Outcasts of Overwatch' ".

She stammered, "S-Surely there was an alternative to it! A peaceful way to have prevented it! Negotiations?".

"I'm a Soldier, you aren't", he told her a simple distinction, "Morrison and Reyes are soldiers, Lena and Genji are not.

Do you understand the difference?".

She goes silent.

"Soldiers do not back down", he told her simply, "Soldiers are obligated to do as they are commanded, or to do as they are compelled as the right option, however, once they start something, they cannot let it go unfinished with either them succeeding or die trying.

You, Genji, Lena?

You don't have that obligation.

You were never expected to do something you felt you shouldn't do. You were never forced to do something you disagreed with until it was finished...".

"I never agreed with the decision to have you participate in the Prometheus Project!", she hissed suddenly, "You never had to sacrifice yourself in such a way! You never needed to harm yourself so severely for our sake! We could have stopped the Crisis without the Project!".

"And as I told you", a weariness enters his eyes, "It was because of the Project that countless deaths were prevented.

What was better, torturing a Soldier to become a War Machine with the Power of a Thousand Men?

Or to sacrifice a Thousand Men to match 1 War Machine?

Sacrifice Few to save many.

It's a basic principal that applied to the Project, you know it, I know it, and everyone involved knew the risks".

He then crossed his arms, "We're done talking about this".

It was an order, and she fell in line the moment she heard the authority in his voice. However, she was still upset.

He could sense it easily.

He told her, "You have every right to be upset with my decision, but you have no right to chastise it because it was a needed decision.

The past is the past, what has happened has happened.

We live in the present, and thus we should focus on that", he quirks an eyebrow expectantly, "Do you agree?".

He didn't leave room for an arguement... at least not room for one without causing unneeded drama, "... I understand. I do not agree, but I understand".

"Then that will have to do", he breathes out calmly, "Now, speaking of the present:

Helix Security is late".

They both switched gears and directed their gaze to down the road, "Indeed they are", she echoed his announcement.

He frowned, "Something tells me they ran into trouble", he shifts his eyes to the Reinhardt and the others, "... Perhaps it would be smart to send a few of us to go and fetch them to the Gauntlet whilst the rest of us guard it".

She glanced at the others for a moment before asking, "Who did you think to send?".

"Everyone except the both of us, to be quite honest", he glanced behind him to the Gauntlet, "They'd be fine on their own and would work well to protect and fight off any attackers if Helix was ambushed.

I'd like to think I'm reasonably strong enough to fight offensively but durable enough to fight defensively. Plus, I'd be their main focus, so keeping you around means I won't get my killed unless they decide to splatter my brain over the floor, in which case I'd have a bigger problem".

"... A reasonable plan", she nodded to his suggestion, "I'll alert the others".

"Please do", he turned around and walked on over to the Gauntlet once again.

He kneeled down and quietly ordered to himself, "Alright Revenant, lets analyze this damn thing".

" _A5 Y0U 5UG63ST_ ".

He focused.

He **REMEMBERED**.

...

...

When she came back, she found Kyle crouched and facing the payload; his left hand raised and his fingers tapping the datapad speedily. He seemed focused, but since they were alone together, she figured she may as well initiate dialogue again, "What are you doing, Captain?", she slowly walked over.

She kneeled down next to him and pressed close; leaning over to look at his datapad.

He noticed her immediately, mostly due to the pleasant aroma she exuded that his keen perception picked up on. He glanced at her before telling her, "The Programs detected a Tracer-Bug of some kind installed into the payload. I'm working to find where it is and remove it.

If Talon is unable to take it in their first attempt and I remove the Bug successfully; they won't be able to try again since they'd have no way of determinning where it is".

"You are interfacing with the God Programs?", she gave him a look of alarm.

He pats her back reassuringly, though his eyes do not shift, "Contrary to popular belief, when the Programs are chained to my will; they aren't useless gits who do nothing but chide at anything.

They just become whimsical allies. They'll help, though they'll be real smart asses about it and try to find some trick to escape later...

Though of course they'll fully assist me when it's critical life-or-death since if I die; they perish with my neural chip".

Something clicks with her, "Then that is how you survived Operation: Epilogue?".

He hesitates... then nods.

He told her, "I shouldn't have survived. Romana reported that I was unconscious for the first few hours and that my bones were practically mush. I've already told you that I'm paralyzed in my left arm, but what I haven't told you is that I also broke my neck from the rubble.

The God Programs hotwired me long enough for my Medics to utilize their Nano-Solutions to repair what they can. It wasn't enough to get me walking, but it was enough for me to not die on the spot. Romana and the others dragged my ass out of the rubble after we realized nobody was coming back to get us".

He then chuckled, "I don't know the rest of my Men survived the building's collapse when I practically didn't.

Then again, some questions are better off left unasked".

"... Better left unasked", she echoed his words with a distant look in her eyes. Then, with a weary little sigh, put her hand upon her bosom and fell deep into thought.

If Kyle knew what she was thinking of, he didn't show it. He merely turned away and was straight back to deactivating the Tracer-Bug.

...

...

"... some questions are better off left unasked".

Had he meant anything by it? Was he hinting that he was aware?

Aware of her interest in him? Not in the professional or platonic capacity... but in the romantic and sexual capacity?

There was little doubt in her mind. She was well aware of the sexual tension they once held in the Olden Days of Overwatch. She was aware of his precarious predicament in the past; with a Woman he loved at home, a Lieutenant who besought his heart in his own force.

She never wanted to 'dogpile' onto the issue that was romance in the past for him. She ignored the sexual tension and settled for worrying over him since it was easy to do as a Medical Director. It was easy because whether or not she was attracted to him, they were friends.

But now, thirty years later...

Everything was different.

He was alone, possibly more alone than she's ever seen him.

His own subordinates had turned maniacal in his exodus and sought the World's demise in one form or another. His Lieutenant; a parasite of his madness had finally reached the 'critical' point that she snapped and took command easily without him.

Then, he was rejected by his home.

His Father shunned him, and his First and Only 'True' (Whatever that word means in this case) Love hated his existence. They would see him punished for the crimes he did not truly commit, at least not truly commit in her eyes.

The World as a whole, if they ever found out what he had done, would easily have him killed.

The United Nations certainly didn't like him since he was a reminder of a Dark Time where Human Rights were paved over by desperation.

More or less, he was alone, even now.

She knew he saw himself as an Outsider to some capacity within Overwatch as it stands.

He avoids talking with everyone on a casual capacity; and stuck firmly to the serious matters. He didn't 'chew the fat' with Lena or anyone. He doesn't visit the Infirmary for check-ups nor does he initiate conversations with her when he rarely does come by.

The way he looked at everyone made it clear in her eyes.

He saw himself as something... greater?

In a sense that would villify others.

She could sense it in his very fibres.

She had seen the signs from the Soldiers of the past.

Those that went manic over the traumas of war and their actions. From Soldiers who were horrified of accidentally shooting another man, to Soldiers who had lost their marbles in the hectic field of war. It was the look of someone coming to terms with the fact that they were a monster.

What bothered her was that he always had the look of self-loathing, yet he seemed to hold himself above the others naturally. He hated himself, yet it seems that he thought of himself better.

Was it arrogance, or was it founded?

Had his sacrifice of his own humanity, given unto him something that made him far greater than any human can hope to become?

No!

She rejected that thought all together.

He did _not_ sacrifice his humanity. If he did, she would never have approved of him.

Yes, his methods were at-times, deplorable. His crimes egregious, his line-of-thinking ruthless and his empathy near non-existent. Yet, it doesn't change the fact that he DID care to some degree. That he IS trying to pull himself together. That he KNEW what he did was horrid.

He was still very human in her eyes.

The emotions he rarely showed were proof. His annoyance, his sarcasm, his sudden-bursts of inspiration...

Yet she felt that he was more human than anyone here. He was hiding it under that apathy, and she yearned to see the Old Captain.

A smile seldom seen.

Joy rarely felt.

In the past he was the Stalwart Sentinel since he was calm, knew his duty, yet remained friendly when approached.

Now?

People were thinking him an emotionless golem; some creature that seems to do no more than Guard and Fight without remorse or thought, showing no reaction to... anything.

Yet she noticed that in her presence and Lena's, he seemed to come alive... if only very slightly. A very light humor and the hint of sarcasm, but it didn't seem to exist with the others. Maybe Reinhardt, though that's no surprise since the duo got along well... if not for their shared German Ancestry, then for their similar military tactics.

Still, his avoidance of everyone made the glimpses into whatever remains hard to come across.

She only hopes... that if what she believes exists... that she would be the one to, someway, somehow, be the one to save it... and to bring it back.

Because if there's something the world needs right now, it's Heroes.

" **The World could always use more Heroes** ".

Whether Captain Kyle Lazarus Wasser liked it or not, he was a Hero. If not to himself, than to those he has fought for... to those he went to Hell for... to those, who abandoned him.

…

…

" _If there be any glory in war._

 _Let it rest, on Men like him._

 _DEAD MEN WILL NEVER COME BACK_ "

 _To Hell and Back, Sabaton_

He felt someone's approach, and spun around on instinct. His hand drew the extendable sword in an instant, and he draws it to full length with a blur of motion. He entered the a Defensive Stance on instinct and analyzed the intruder within seconds.

He recognized the Raptora Mark VI in an instant. He did, simply because of how he knew Romana and her ambitions. Raptora Mark VI was a colossal upgrade in comparison to the Valkyrie 2.0/Revenant 1.0 he donned. The Raptora was designed with flight in mind in the original design, unlike the Valkyrie 2.0; which had been designed to be another copy of the Valkyrie Suit prior to being stolen by the Revenants.

At this point, it's its own thing rather than a Valkyrie Suit; but it doesn't change its roots and base design not being oriented for flight and destruction. The Raptora, however, was designed for _exactly_ that: Flight and Destruction on a scale that would replicate a Floating Destroyer.

Of course... they never got around to it simply because of one fact:

The Raptora Mark VI was a prototype that was one of Helix Securities' closest-guarded secrets. They knew the power of the Raptora was something that nobody could have, and thus, they safe-guarded it in such a way that it could not be hacked or stolen easily.

Hell, to this day, he didn't know where the designs were, nor the other locations of potential copies of the Raptora. Yet, he knew of only one person who had the Raptora...

A person with a last name that was familiar to him, albeit very distant.

Fareeha Amari, otherwise more well-known as " **PHARAH** " or "Rocket Queen"; Daughter of the Late Captain Ana Amari.

From what he read from Winston's reports, Fareeha had originally been in the Egyptian Military with a high-likelihood of being recruited into Overwatch shortly before Overwatch was disbanded. With the aspect of Overwatch gone into the rubbles of Headquarters and United Nation Sanctions, Fareeha ended up signing on with Helix Securities; as part of the Team responsible for safe-guarding the Anubis God A.I (A hunger yearns).

She served under a Captain Khalil for a time, but was promoted to replace Khalil after the Man passed away during an Anubis Containment Breach. Since then, she had been guarding the Anubis A.I without any events... though undoubtedly this was a break in routine.

Helix must have been paid _quite_ a bit if they were willing to send one of their Best Field Teams out from defending a God Program to transporting a Weapon. Then again, considering they were transporting a WMD, maybe it made sense to do so.

Still, he had no right to judge Helix's Field Team Decisions; he never worked with them...

Not until now.

"Fareeha Amari, Pharah", the voice of the Egyptian Rocket Queen cuts of any potential further lines of thinking abruptly. Her hand extends out to him, gloved but the friendly intention was there, clear as day.

He eyed her warily, before responding severely, "Kyle Wasser. Though you may know me better as **REVENANT** ". He watched her closely, like an Interrogator over his Victim; seeking some form of reaction.

He was satisfied with what he saw.

She tensed immediately upon hearing of his true nature, but he doesn't seem to react with outright hostility... Though she does retract the hand instantly and reach subconsciously for her weapon.

He tutts her, "If you recognize my name, you'd realize that drawing a weapon would do you no good".

His hand moves quickly; and he locks her arm in a precarious position that prevented her from reaching her weapon... at least not without breaking her own arm, "... I already have you right where I want you. Even Horus can't protect you when you're in my reach".

He pulled her forward and leaned in, whispering into her ear with a calmness that would drive fear into the hearts of many, "Do not think for a moment that you can kill me.

You can certainly try: but know that countless others have tried before you and have all failed. Reyes being the only one who has ever come close to succeeding.

Understand that even if you were to succeed, you would be doing the world no favours, but rather doom it to the wrath of monsters I have created in my wake... monsters of which I currently work to destroy.

Unless you are ready to burn in the fires of Hell to destroy the Monsters I have made; you'd best **STAY OUT OF MY WAY** ".

Then, he shoved her back with a severe look in his eyes.

She rubbed the site of where he grabbed her, and gave him a look of hostility before turning away and warning him, "You'd best watch your back, **REVENANT** , because I certainly won't watch yours... You Monster".

"I don't need you to watch my back, **ROOKIE** ", he glowered at her, "Idealism and Justice has no place on the battlefield. You'll learn that the hard way in due time".

"Such comraderie", there was a merry laugh from behind the both of them, "I can tell we'll all get along fabulously, won't we, Captain Amari?".

He turned his head and gave a hard flat stare. It settled upon one of the Helix Company Soldiers, who only gives him a friendly little smile with a wave before noting aloud, "Playing cold? I like it. I bet the Ladies love it too. Alas, I don't swing that way, Good Sir, so I'm afraid playing cold won't do much for m-".

"Keep joking around, and I'll cut out your tongue", he growls with annoyance apparent in his voice, "Lets just get this shit-show going before they catch up and ambush us. I have other things to be doing".

"Alright, Dooly-Noted Captain-Asshole", the Helix Soldier broke into a frown, "It won't kill you to loosen up. It's good for the soul".

"Then it's a good thing a Revenant has no need for a soul", he glared at the Soldier before his voice begins to boom with the weight of authority, "You'll do your duty and I'll do mine. I do not need your comraderie nor do you need mine.

You watch your back, and I'll watch mine.

Try anything funny, and I'll have you begging for death by the time I'm done, are we clear?".

"Alright... Fine, I got you".

"I got you?", he waits.

"... I got you, _Sir_ ", the Helix Soldier pushes past with his fellow Company Men; grumbling and seething amongst themselves.

"There's no need for hostilities, Captain".

"There's a need to draw a line, Angela", he narrowed his eyes at the back of the Helix Marines, "It's the same with all the Mercs. You need to draw a line and make sure they know their place. Make it fucking clear that they're working _for_ you, not _with_ you".

"That doesn't sound like a Good Officer's Mindset", she shifts nervously.

"I'm not their Superior Officer", he points at Pharah calmly, "She's the one in charge of those shit-stains. She's the only one who I need to interact with.

I'm just making it clear to them that I won't stand for any of their shit that the Merc types like to do: Like thumbing their fucking fingers at me or making little jibs. I'm not interested in any of it, and I'll make it clear.

What I just did, was establish my dominance.

Think of Mercs and Soldiers like a Wolf Pack.

When Mercs join the Pack, the Alpha Wolf needs to assert itself over them to make sure they stay in line. That's precisely what I just did".

Angela scratched her head, "Captain, I don't think you're treating them with dignity".

"Yeah?", he looks at Angela with a bit of contempt, "Tell that to Reyes and see if he gives a damn.

He doesn't.

Because if you're expecting to be treated with dignity in a job of constant warfare?

You're going to die real fucking fast when you're bitching about how your orders are being given".

He then gestures calmly, "You wouldn't understand this, unless you operated like a Military Man. I make it a point to treat my Subordinates reasonably and as equals when we're off-duty. But when we're in the field?

They listen to me like they're my fucking slaves, because they fucking know if they want to live? They'd better listen".

"Captain...", she looks at him pleadingly.

He stands firmly and looks her in the eyes before shaking his head calmly.

She continued to stare at him, trying to get him to budge just a little, "... There's no need to be so hostile to them, Captain", she whispered.

He shook his head, "Hostility? It's simply my assertion of dominance, I thought we established that".

"We're all equals here, Captain", she reached out towards him, "... Or... are we not?".

He seems to relent slowly when she brings up the collective 'we', "No, 'we' aren't all equals. Some of us are better than others naturally, and we need to... preserve that balance".

"And how do you discern who is better than others?", she stopped her hand mere inches away from his forearm.

"By ability.

You are far better than everyone here", there was a fire in his eyes as he said those words. Yet, the fire was snuffed out into embers and a glow took its place as he continue, "I'm better than the others... everyone in Overwatch... we're better than the others because we can do things nobody else can... not anymore at least".

She cocked an eyebrow, "You would consider me better than everyone here because of my abilities as a Doctor?".

"Just as I consider myself better than the others because ofmy abilities as a Combatant", he nodded. 

She decides to argue, "Then would you consider me better than everyone else if we had to look at my ability to Cook? I have no capabilities in the Culinary Arts, but lets say that Man does. And the situation calls for Culinary Cooking and no Medical Science.

Would he then, not be better than me?".

"In the aspect of cooking and in the circumstance, yes, they would be", he nodded with a frown, "What are you getting at?".

"Everyone is better than someone depending on circumstances, Captain.

Which is why we're all equal", she smiled victoriously, pleased with her logic, "We all have our strengths and we all have our weaknesses.

What is our strength is someone else's weakness, but someone else's strength may just be our weakness.

This is why we're all better than each other, yet at the same time, infinitely equal".

He blinked in surprise.

Then, he argues, "Yet in these moments where we are better than the others, we must make it clear that it is such. It is crucial that they are made aware that this is our strength and that they should follow our lead!".

"And that's fine, Captain", she touched his forearm gently, "However, if you were dealing in something that was a weakness of yours and a strength of someone else's. Would you want that person to lord it over you?".

"If it's their way of making it known that it's their strength, then yes, I'd like to be aware", he glanced at her hand.

"But would you like it if they provoked you in the process? Would you not want the information to be given to you in a more courteous manner if possible? If not to establish a friendly relationship, then to at least establish a smooth and amiable professional relationship?".

He curled his lip in distaste... but she could tell that he knew he was defeated by her points. He huffed, annoyed, "... Fine. I'll make it a point to treat the others I work with, with courtesy from here on out... But only because you've asked me to, not because of the reasoning", he shook his head with a grunt, "... Unbelievable, what the hell is wrong with me?".

He brushed her hand off politely, "Now... if you're done trying to seduce me, I have reason to believe we'd best be off. I doubt Reinhardt and the others fought off the Talon Operatives for good, so we'd best take the lead while we can".

He unfolded the sword back into the handle before stashing it away and drawing out his rifle.

He turned the safety off... and he sets himself straight to work.

…

"Stay behind my shield!", Reinhardt's blue shield couldn't come up at a better time as the grenades bounce harmlessly off it before detonating before everybody.

Captain Wasser shouted a quick order, "Keep the Payload moving and stay behind the shield! I'll pick off the Fuckers up-top! Genji, flank the fuckers on the bottom! Pharah, keep 'em pinned! The rest of you, keep 'em busy!".

He leaped and fired into the air; flaring his wings in the sunlight as his rifle directs its barrel at its surprised victims.

His hearing dulls and his sense of taste disappeared. His sight, however, became attuned to the point that a Hawk would envy his perception.

His rifle's sight settled onto his first victim's center mass: the torso.

He pulled the trigger four times; firing four bullets into his target before turning sharply to the next.

He fired.

A hole in their forehead; splattering pink and red onto the floor behind them with a ragdoll to boot.

Next! 

He exploded the knee cap of the victim before moving onto the next person abruptly.

 _BOOM!_

He fired a bullet into the eye-visor of the Talon Agent; blowing the glass to shards and planting a healthy serving of metal straight into their cranium.

He adjusted back to his previous victim, who was screaming and holding their blown-kneecap with both hands.

He puts them out of their misery by blowing their jaw open and planting a few additional iron-supplements into their neck.

He fired a few more bullets, but soon his killing-spree was ended when his rifle gives soft _click_ s that alerted him of a lack of ammunition. He didn't waste time to reload; he swiftly slung the rifle once more before drawing his sword and extending it.

He pointed the blade at the stragglers on the catwalk who were trying to shoot through the glare of the sun at him, " **ONCE MORE! UNTO THE BREACH!** ", he shouted at the top of his lungs before diving head-on.

His thrusters fired off as best as they could; rendering him akin to a blur of unsurmountable force, like a Cavalier leading a Charge that would be forever forged into the annals of history.

However, as he closed the distance, he realized a problem.

The closer he got, the more accurate their gunfire became. He was losing the advantage of being right in the sun's glare, and was doomed to be killed if he charged in a straight line. So he began to spin and perform aerial maneuvers without stopping; making himself a hard-to-hit target to the best of his abilities.

It works, miraculously enough. If he was up against anyone more combat-capable (Namely Reaper, Widowmaker, or any sort of 'Talon Ace') he had little doubt in his mind that he would've been shot down without too much difficulty.

Save for a few grazes from close-shots, he reached his victims with the force of a train.

He smashed them into the wall like a Crusader's Rocket-Charge; crushing bones and wrecking their internals as they give a weak groan and crumple to the floor. He brought his sword up without pause and ran straight at his next victim.

During his sprint, however, he felt a bullet punch against the thick cuirass; knocking the breath out of him and undoubtedly causing a real nasty bruise or worse underneath... though it luckily doesn't punch through.

He'd have to compliment Torbjorn for the insight of thickening the armour without sacrificing his flexibility.

He roared and struck forward with the blade; flashing it forward like lightning.

He felt the steel blade clash against metal; and found the Talon Agent had raised his own rifle to block it. He frowned and spun nimbly before swinging at the Agent's neck once more. They block it once more, though this time with their right forearm.

Then, the Agent quickly grabbed the sword before trying to aim the rifle with their other hand. He pulled the sword back; causing the Agent's arm to reach out and make them lose balance as they stumble forward from his sudden pull.

He shifted the blade slightly and pushed as hard as he could... and was rewarded with a gurgle of pain and the satisfying feeling of punching through resistance with his sword. He looked on, satisfied.

His sword had gone straight through his Victim's neck and came out the other side. The blade had come to a stop at its halfway point; with most of the blade coming out from the otherside. Not one to leave things unfinished, he reached forward and grabbed his victim's head; pulling it in and pushing the blade through until their neck came to a rest at the guard.

Then, with a swing of the sword; he cuts through their neck and decapitates them effectively; holding their head in his left hand and wielding his bloodied blade in his right. He looked on to the only one who stands bravely (or foolishly?) in his path.

The rest had broken in the wake of his massacre and had begun fleeing at his horrible sight. The ones who were probably European cried of fleeing the 'Hussar', undoubtedly familiar with his appearance.

They dropped their rifle to the ground, and spoke calmly, "... You just can't fucking stay down... can't you?".

"Know me?", he quirked an eyebrow.

"Know you? I tried to kill you", they unsealed the metal helmet and revealed their face... showing an unremarkable male face that was marred with scars, "I don't expect you to recognize me".

"Oh, but I do", he had done well to remember the faces of **TRAITORS** , "You're a Former-Blackwatch Agent. I can tell".

"Guess I really am far up on your shit-list. Figures", they sealed the helmet once more without hesitation, "Well, least I'm not going to be another number on that huge list of yours".

"Don't you worry. I'll _enjoy_ killing you", angered at the revelation that he was facing no mere Talon Operative with no history to him, he lowered the face mask, "You made a mistake following Reyes. You made a bigger mistake trying to kill me. But you've made the biggest mistake of all right now: **DARING TO FACE ME AGAIN** ".

"I'll finish what I started", they growled and drew their combat knife.

He frowned to himself since he found himself in a troublesome situation.

Sure, he had a sword, but that knife would make his foe a deadly opponent if they got close.

He had the advantage of range, but if he closed the gap and got too close, his sword would be rendered useless and that knife would give the fucker a huge edge over him.

He was confident with his CQC abilities, sure, and this guy was going to die no matter what, but he knew that Blackwatch Agents were no push-overs of any kind. This wasn't a run-off-the-mill cannonfodder; this man knows how to fight... and will do his best to close the gap.

He stared at the Blackwatch Agent and declared, "Fear me now, for I am far greater than you can ever hope to become", he pointed the sword at the Agent, "Feel my wrath and know you die to no mere man: but to a **REVENANT** ".

"Lets finish this", he frowns and charges at him.

Kyle lowered the sword and...

Drew General Grey's revolver and sighted it in on the Blackwatch Agent within seconds.

The Blackwatch Agent lost all focus in an instant, "W-WHAT!? You're supposed to duel me!".

" **TRAITORS DON'T GET DUELS** ", he bared his teeth and pulled the trigger.

He blew the Traitor's head wide-open. He stared straight through the tunnel and watched the wall behind the bastard get painted red with little pink pieces in the mix. The corpse stumbled forward a few more steps before collapsing to the floor and creating a filthy mess upon the ground.

He spits down upon the floor before holstering the revolver once more. He jogged and puts his hands on the railing before shouting to the Team below, "Pharah, break their barricade! Torbjorn, I hope your turret's up and ready, you'll keep 'em pinned to cover! Rein, be ready to charge once Pharah breaks through. I'll keep your back clear!".

…

…

They had been making steady progress to their destination when everything fell apart. He was fighting off a few Stragglers when he felt a terrible tingle in his spine that made him reflexively duck and turn around with his sword drawn and rifle on the floor.

"Fast reflexes", he ducked and weaved through the abrupt barrage of punches coming his way before thrusting his sword in a fast attack at their abdomen. They stepped aside from the thrust and grabbed the sword before pulling it with considerable force.

He could tell in an instant that his opponent was immensely stronger than he is... perhaps as strong as Winston when the Gorilla was furious. He lets go of the sword promptly, and his attacker notes aloud once more, "Quick-Thinking and Fast to Analyze his Opponents... Reyes did not lie about you being a capable combatant".

He took a quick look at his attacker.

It was a large Nigerian Man, whose body was ripped with muscles large enough to gurantee the strength of an animal. The Man's gaze was hard and cold; constantly calculating and alive with intelligence and devotion to some unknown cause. The man's right arm was definitely a prosthetic of some kind, but the sheer size of the man's other arm hinted immediately to who he was facing.

In seconds, the God Programs found a hit in the Web that was the Internet.

Akande Ogundimu, **DOOMFIST**.

"Doomfist", he found himself speaking, "So you're here to collect your Gauntlet? At least you're brave enough to come and get it personally".

"Revenant", Akande narrowed his eyes at him before breaking the sword in half without a problem, "And you're here fighting for Overwatch? What a strange man you are, contradictory to your nature by fighting for some organization devoted on the illusion of peace and prosperity".

"I don't rightly care how you perceive me", he frowned, "Overwatch is the only good solution to the problems I've created. I WILL see to it that they are solved. As much as I don't give two shits whether or not you get your damn gauntlet, I've an obligation to prevent its theft".

"Oh? But it's not theft if I'm taking back what's mine", oddly enough, for whatever reason, Akande didn't pursue after him for another attack.

"I don't care", he looked around; seeking a hidden threat he could feel was inevitably looming, "... Where's the Sniper?".

Akande merely frowned, "Truely perceptive indeed... but not perceptive _enough_ "; Kyle looked straight up.

He found himself staring up into the barrel of a high-caliber sniper rifle.

"Go to sleep", her voice was barely audible as she pulled the trigger with a momentary squeeze. The moment, however, was enough for Kyle to twist his body nimbly and raise his sword before his very face.

He held the blade with both hands positioned at either end; bracing for the bullet.

He saved his own life by doing such a thing. The blade cuts the bullet down when the round comes slamming down; splitting it in half and causing both parts to miss his head narrowly.

Before she could pull the trigger again, he rocketed upwards straight at her; the blade still poised right before his head. She shifted her aim and went for the shoulder, and fired.

It was impossible to prevent the impact in time. The bullet punches through the armour and punches into his right lung with ease; collapsing it and making agony burn in his chest. Had he been alive, he would have lost focus immediately and try to flee to Angela, but being a Revenant had its perks.

He ignored the terrible pain, the dampness spreading across his chest and the agony that was every movement, every breath, every little thing that was needed to 'live'. He pushed her sniper rifle out of the way and found himself grabbing her fiercely.

With a quick swing of the sword with the free hand, he cuts her grappling hook before grabbing her by the throat with the other hand. He dragged her into the air; ignoring the ripping pain in his chest as he exerts his muscle to maintain his hold on her.

She feebly launches kicks and hits at him; but his dogged-willpower and ignoring of pain causes him to not react. He eventually reached as high as he reckoned would be aplenty, and stared hard at the Blue Assassin he had.

He had her now; there was no way for the Bitch to escape. The God Programs were temporarily dulling his pain receptors to let him operate at full capacity; but he knew they would take control if he entered 'critical' condition.

He contemplated his options.

He could simply drop her right now and let gravity take care of her. Since he severed her grappling hook, he was sure that she'd have no way to stop herself in the fall. Or he could use her as a human-shield and charge Doomfist... and maybe use her as a human-projectile to throw her at him to make a gap for him to exploit.

Or he could impale her on his sword right now. Nobody could stop him, and she definitely lacked the strength to overpower him. But...

That Deja Vu feeling returned, this time stronger than before as he stared at her, up-close and personal. He frowned, "... I've met you before... But who the fuck are you? You're French, I can tell".

He spoke French with ease; no need for God Programs since he grew up in Canada, " _You're clearly French. Not Quebecois, I can tell. You're also very lithe... almost like a ballerina_ ".

If he was hitting the facts dead-on, Widowmaker gave no signs of it. She simply stared at him, cold and calculating; eyes dead rather than alive.

She doesn't reply, allowing him to rattle on in French, " _The problem is... I cannot tell who you are. You speak, so little_. _You show no personality_ ".

He shook his head, " _I should kill you. I want to kill you. But a part of me tells me that I know you... and that we aren't enemies despite you being Talon_. _Perhaps I knew someone who was married to you?_

 _Only one name I can think of:_

 _Amelie Lacroix_ ".

He stared and looked for a reaction. He still finds none, " _... No? Hm, I suppose that is unlikely. Amelie wasn't blue-skinned_ ".

He looked at a nearby window, "... _No matter. Your rifle is far and you are no longer my problem. By the time you become a danger, I'm sure the outcome will be established far before-hand_ ", he declared, "Au Revoir", and threw her at the window; shattering the glass and casting her away.

She breaks through the glass and falls beyond his vision into the room. He turned his gaze to the bigger threat below.

Akande stared up at him, vision unwavering with Reinhardt looming over the man with his hammer raised.

He ordered Reinhardt, "Step back Rein! He's mine!".

He ordered Angela, "Repair what you can, Angela! I'll take this fucker down a peg and show him the wrath of a Revenant".

He then snarled, "The rest of you; keep guard of the Gauntlet. We're at the final stretch and they probably won't attack again, but don't give 'em a chance to ambush you all. I'll take care of our 'Guest'".

Angela did her work, the others secured a perimeter, and within minutes; the two 'Titans' of their Organizations stood parallel from one another.

One, the Revenant from Hell; fighting for the Organization that had sent it to Hell in the first place; seeking redemption and revenge.

The other, a Champion for an unyielding cause; fighting for a ruthless organization that will see this cause succeed and the world brutalized for it.

One with the willpower to sustain where all others would fall; the perseverance that had allowed him to go straight to Hell and come back.

The other with the strength to bring the Gods themselves to their knees; a strength of insurmountable size that would see fit to tremble the very foundations of creation.

When an immovable object meets an unstoppable force; something's gotta give.

But what happens when an unstoppable force collides with another unstoppable force?

He cracked his newly-healed shoulder, eyes unmoving from the target before him. His sword twirled in his hand calmly, and his eyes were alive with the gaze of Gods and its Champion. He knew not of what he truly was, and he lacked any 'true' weakness for Doomfist to exploit... but he also knew nothing of fighting Doomfist.

Doomfist didn't move. He stood there, like a statue, pushing the entirety of his presence upon Wasser without doing a single thing. He was a man who knew his own strength. He knew his weaknesses... and he knew who stood before him.

They were two opposites, yet two replicas at the same time.

They fought for different causes, but they both shared a similar method: Unyielding Force and Dedication.

They've suffered different trials, yet they both knew that the trials had made them stronger.

They both sacrificed humanity, but became something greater...

Fucking hell.

They're both incapable of really using an arm to be honest, Doomfist lacks a real right arm (Save for the Prosthetic Replacement) and Wasser lacks a functional left arm (At least not one without his Cybernetics).

They were the same, yet different.

Even their gazes alone, carried that through.

They both had incredible willpower, but one of them was far more willful than the other when it counts...

Wasser had a willpower that had turned him into an unstoppable war machine who was unfazed by Death's embrace.

He was far greater than Doomfist in that regard; he could take punishment like no other.

They both too, possessed incredible strength; but one was far stronger than the other.

Doomfist had the strength to shatter the world if he sought it. He was a man who had overcomed his personal weaknesses and doubts and forged himself into a Man with no equal.

Their strengths were different, but their power was all the same.

Everyone around them watched with bated breath, enraptured by the clash of titans.

It all starts... it all starts the way it always starts.

With a few words, "You are not the first, and you will not be the last", Doomfist narrowed his eyes and charged.

Kyle merely shook his head and readied his sword, "... In Glory or In Death".

He charged.

…

Doomfist's fist lunged forward in a blur that broke the sound barrier; causing a thunderclap in its wake as it tears straight at the Revenant.

Revenant used his thrusters and weaved aside, driving his blade for Doomfist's open side during his opponent's lunge. Doomfist saw it coming, and grabbed the sword with his off-hand with ease before spinning and pulling the Revenant in.

Dragged by the pull of his blade, Revenant found his face smashed in by the prosthetic right arm. But in this attack, he knew Doomfist too was open; and utilized the opening by pulling his sword free of Doomfist's grip and recoiling away from the punch.

Of course, as he recoiled away from the punch, he turned quickly and stabbed the blade backwards; catching Doomfist off-guard and gets a shallow-stab into the Nigerian Giant's abdomen before being kicked away.

Revenant turned around quickly and barely managed to bring his head back in time to avoid another terrifying punch from Doomfist's prosthetic right arm.

The metal hurts like a bitch, he could attest to it after the first punch as his head throbs with pain. Doomfist pushed through Revenant's dodge and attacked with a knee-lunge.

Revenant avoids it by firing off his thrusters and dashing away; creating space between them as they warily circle one another for another attack.

This time, Revenant moves first.

Though he does something unexpected by most of the others.

He throws his sword at Doomfist with all his might; blade poised for the Nigerian Man's heart. Then, before charging head-long into battle, he drew a syringe free from his persona before impaling his neck and pushing the contents into him.

Combat Stimulants.

His senses sharpened beyond human limits. He could feel the very air around him shift with each movement, but he wasted no time further. He dashed in after his sword; which continues to cut through the air for Akande's heart.

His arms were up; ready for interceptions as he watched Doomfist catch the sword with ease. Then, as though it was no more than a mere twig; snapped it in his prosthetic arm before throwing the pieces at him.

His eyes widened as he threw himself aside from the abrupt projectiles; barely getting out of the way in time. But the unexpected dodge had put him at a disadvantage, one that Doomfist capitalizes on when he dashes forward mid-punch.

The punch comes home against the Revenant's plumed helmet. It was the prosthetic arm that slammed against the helmet, causing a resounding screech between metal to echo out as Revenant is sent tumbling down the street from Doomfist.

His breath came out in short bursts, shock had registered as he realized just how close to immediate death he just came to.

Revenant undid the helmet and removed it to take a cursory glance at the damage.

The massive dent proved testament to the strength of Doomfist... and causes Revenant's blood to boil in anger.

Not because of the near-death experience.

But because someone dared to be better than the Spirit of the Dead.

 **Someone dared to be stronger than he; the man forged in the fires of hell**.

He has suffered far too much to become this powerful, and he will not concede defeat to someone who he cares little for.

Fury in his eyes, and the light returning, he stood up firmly and declared with a cold voice of solid steel, "Doomfist, I shall be your Bane.

Fear my wrath now, and hark to the sound of my name.

I am the Revenant of a Bygone Age and I am the Ghost of the Past returned to Haunt those who stand against me.

I have been to Hell and Back, and I have come as the Harbinger to send you forth to Hell itself!

If you think yourself strong enough to change the world, then you shall prove it to me!

Hear my roar and tremble before me! I will have my revenge, and no one shall stop me!", his teeth were bared with animosity.

He straightened every limb and brought himself to his full height.

He declared, "You may be augmented, but you'll never match the strength I possess from the depths of Hell. I have sold my future for this power to change the world, and I shall not be defeated by the likes of _you!_ ".

Doomfist snarled, "Human Strength will only get you so far".

"Then it's a good thing I'm not Human anymore!", he roared and dashed forward with the thrusters.

He moved like liquid silver, flowing past Doomfist's sudden-barrage of fists directed for him. With a sweep past Doomfist's right, Revenant threw a punch straight at the back of Doomfist's knees.

Doomfist took the hit without staggering, and backhands the Revenant with his left hand. Spinning from the strike, Revenant throws a rising-kick in a back-spin that strikes Doomfist at the base of his jaw.

Doomfist is sent stumbling from the abrupt blow that strikes with the force of a train. Revenant followed the attack by completing the spin and throwing a haymaker. Doomfist's reflexes automates the catching of the fist.

With a clench of the hand, Doomfist felt the bones in Revenant's fist break. But Revenant showed no reaction, and instead slams a hook straight into Doomfist's jaw once more. He then hooks his right foot behind Doomfist's leg before using the thrusters to dash back as fast as powerful.

Doomfist's continued grip on Revenant's left hand ends up dislodging Revenant's left arm in the movement; but Revenant's foot ends up sweeping out the Giant Nigerian's legs out from under him. Exploiting Doomfist's downed state, he dashed back within range and grabbed Doomfist by the neck with his good arm before dashing forward.

The act ends up dragging Doomfist across the asphalt at high speeds, which ends up cracking the pavement in their wake. As his thrusters began to sputter out of fuel; in need of a recharge, he used their combined momentum to haul Doomfist as high as he could muster before essentially 'tossing' Doomfist forward and slightly into the air.

He quick-draws his Revolver and goes for the kill...

Only for his right hand to blow open in a gush of blood and flesh that splatters his face in red and sends the revolver to the floor. A bullet remains firmly lodged; sticking out through the back of his hand with a moisture trail that goes back to...

Widowmaker, who shifts her aim immediately and goes for his head to exploit the very narrow opening. She pulls the trigger before he could throw himself completely out of the way.

Something rips into his left eye; blacking out the entirety of his left side and causing a sudden ripping pain to go through his head. He could tell in an instant that he had been shot in the eye, but the damage was far more extensive when he discovers, alarmingly, that his legs had stopped responding.

He fell to the floor abruptly, face-first and lands hard enough that he could feel something fall out of the probably-gaping hole in the left side of his face. His nerveless feet sent no nervous signals, and he could feel a momentary 'absence' in his consciousness shortly before the God Programs hot-wire things back together.

By the time he had dragged himself back up to his feet, he felt someone's hands grab onto both of his wings. He could barely make out Doomfist's looming figure before he felt his whole body go weightless with the sensation of flying through the air.

He lands with a dull _thud_ further down the street... probably a few feet away from Widowmaker. He pulled himself back up without wasting time and barely managed to duck underneath the punch. He attempts to tackle Doomfist down, but merely hits the man like running into a brickwall.

He stops upon impact and gives an exasperated groan. Doomfist simply grabs him by the wings once more before hurling him back towards his Colleagues. He hurls through the air like a giant tumbleweed; flipping to see the sky and ground in fast sequences as shouts of alarm echo around him.

He recovered desperately, tumbling and ungracefully straightening mid-air to position his legs towards the ground as his right eye attempts to do the work of two eyes. He lands on someone with an 'oomph', sending them both to the ground.

He was up in an instant, but he spared a glance with his good eye before inquiring, "Alright there, Amari? My Armour combined with my weight doesn't exactly make me 'light'".

Pharah lifted her helmet up slightly to look at him with amazed eyes, "How are you still fighting?".

He glanced to Doomfist, who seemed to be conspiring with Widowmaker whilst watching him warily... very similar to what he was doing to be honest. He asked Pharah off-handedly, "The hell do you mean?".

He grimaced as he felt blood trickle down the gaping eye-wound, which prompts him to tear off some of the fabric sticking out from his clothing within the Cuirass. He uses it as an impromptu bandage; tieing it tightly over the eye-wound to put pressure on the wound.

As he did this, Pharah explained, "I've seen men fall to lesser wounds".

He stared at her flatly, "I'm no mere man", he turned away promptly, "I want you to organize everyone and get the Gauntlet delivered to the other Helix Unit waiting to receive it at the Museum. I'll keep those two busy. The rest of my colleagues should be more than enough to fight off the Cannon-Fodder".

"I do not think you will last long against them both for too long, Wasser", she frowned, "You'd be throwing your life away for a Gauntlet".

"Can't throw away something you've already lost", he watched the Talon Agents closely, "Besides... I think we're moving into territory where I'll have the advantage. Widowmaker's interruption has broken the unspoken rule of the duel, so guns are fair game".

"You were the one to first draw the revolver".

"Can't say I cheated until I pulled the trigger", he gave a dry chuckle, "Alright. Go. Make haste.

I'll fight them for as long as I can, but hurry your sorry ass back here once the Gauntlet's delivered to drive them off".

Pharah stood up and stared at him.

"I have sworn to protect the weak and punish the wicked; to deliver swift justice to those who commit evil", she starts, "... You are everything I have sworn to fight. You have hurt the innocent and you have killed the weak; you've shown your wickedness with your crimes and your evils are second-to-one".

Then...

She frowned to herself, "Yet... I do not sense that you are truly evil. Reinhardt would never follow someone who has done the world wrong, yet he readily follows you. Why?

Does he see something in you that I do not? Or does he know something about you that I do not?

Are your evils excusable to some greater good, or has Reinhardt become blind to the Monster you seem to be?

I do not know, and I am no God; so I may never know nor will I ever truly have the right to judge you.

My Mother had always fought to protect the weak, and I know Reinhardt does the same. Yet I can tell that you do not fight for our reasons... so why does Reinhardt follow you?

Tell me Captain: Are you a Hero? A Fallen One?".

He turned away and looked to Doomfist and Widowmaker calmly, "... I'm not a Hero. I was never a Hero.

I'm a Soldier, a Military Officer whose ruthless tactical decisions borderlines on suicidal yet brilliant.

I've never tried to be anything but what I know I am.

I possess various monikers that prove my 'Good' and prove my 'Evil'.

I'm more than a Man, but I am not a God.

I am no more evil as I am good.

I'm only necessary. Because Wars are not won by Heroes or Villains, it is only won by those who do what is needed", he turned to her slightly, "... I fight Monsters and Villains that can never be beaten by Heroes.

What else can I do, but become their betters?".

He paused.

Then, he sighed, resigned, "People like to think I'm someone who sits on one end of the spectrum.

Many people like to think I'm either a Hero, or a Villain.

A Few of my subordinates see me as a Soldier... but I don't think anyone truly understands what I am despite the fact that I'll always say what I am when they ask.

You can think me a Hero, a Villain, a Soldier, or anything inbetween.

Just understand that I am a necessity", he picked up his nearby revolver off the ground.

They both had a moment of silence. Pharah to contemplate his words and reevaluate her opinion of him, and Revenant to gather his thoughts and prepare a plan.

Then...

She nodded to him with grudging respect, "Best of luck, Captain Wasser", she addressed him by rank.

"And to you, Captain Amari", he returned the nod with a firm stare.

He turned back around and nodded to Reinhardt, "Work with Captain Amari and get the payload delivered, Lieutenant. I'm counting on you".

"Good luck, Captain!".

…

…

…

He ducked underneath the hook and barely managed to shove the Nigerian back before his vision blacked out completely. He felt the impact of someone's leg against his face before his vision snaps back to focus to have him realize he was falling to the ground.

He used his thrusters to get back on his feet a few meters away, but is immediately forced to continue evading when Doomfist jumps back into action with a haymaker. He narrowly avoids it, but takes a new hit when a bullet smashes against his upper-shoulder.

It doesn't punch through the armour, but it felt like a Doomfist-Punch since it manages to make him reel. He looked for his revolver during the reel; and managed to spot it a little ways away... on the asphalt and bloody from the gaping wound in his right hand.

But this moment of looking made him pay the price. Namely Doomfist grabs his wings again.

He cursed, "Fucking hell, give my wings a break!".

He felt his armour give an abrupt tug... the sort of forceful 'tug' that normally comes from hard impacts (Namely a Car Crash). He turned around just in time to watch Doomfist spear his chest with the broken wing he had ripped from his back.

At first, it didn't hurt.

The God Programs did their work by numbing the pain.

But then... it did hurt.

It hurt like hell.

It was probably one of the most painful things he's ever had to experience... losing out to probably waking up from his Madness and losing to discovering Elaine's Marriage in the past.

He looked down to the site of impalement to find it dead-center in his chest. He murmured, "... Nice Hit", and managed to chuckle before beginning to lose footing.

He stumbled backwards, feet moving desperately to recover and arms reaching out for something to catch himself on, but to no avail. His body tipped backwards precariously, raising the feathered wings sticking out of his chest into the air moments before he fell to the floor.

He managed a low whine, volume barely above a whisper, "I'm too old... for this shit". Then, he chuckled once again... even if the very act pained him immensely, "... Hehehe... Finally... old enough... to say it".

He could feel his strength leaving him and his essence whisping away, but he knew he wouldn't die. He never will, not when the Monsters of his Creation still roam... and not when he has not gotten his revenge.

His fingers reach for the too-far away revolver... but the God Programs couldn't help but try.

He kept his eyes to the sky... and did the one thing anyone in his situation would probably do.

He stared at the clouds above.

"... _That one looks like a Roman Gladius_ ".

As the daylight began to fade from his eyes, and as his consciousness began to retreat into the depths of his head... he saw a shadow loom over him.

Whatever loomed over him... it stared at him for a while. It raised something and planted something cold against his head... probably a gun to finish him off. He waited as he fell unconscious, for the shot to end his life.

But it never came.

He felt the clatter of a gun next to him shortly before the shadow disappeared and the sky returned above him. But he didn't get to appreciate the return of the sky. Because as it came back...

 _He left_.

…

…

 **Author's Note: And the Romance has been locked in.**

 **Angela "Mercy" Ziegler has the honour of being Captain Wasser's First Romantic Partner! I'll say this right now: I'm fairly surprised that she managed to beat Lena considering Lena's initial victory.**

 **I had expected the polls to consistently pick Lena then her after Lena's Arc, but I suppose I anticipated Angela's Victory once she won her first poll.**

 **Anyhow, here's the Romantic Scoring for the sake of keeping everyone up to date:**

 **Angela Ziegler – 3 [ROMANCE PARTNER]**

 **Lena Oxton – 1**

 **Amelie Lacroix – 1**

 **Fareeha Amari – 1**

 **Hana Song – 0**

 **Expect a Firm Focus around Ziegler & Wasser's relationship now that she won the poll-system, though we'll still see interactions with the other characters. The Captain survives by the way, though it should be obvious since every good Doctor-Romance loves to start with some grevious wound to the Patient.**

 **Though since I've a clear-cut goal for who's the romantic goal for now, this means that the polls need some 'new' list for you all to decide.**

 **So we'll go with this.**

 **POLL: Which Other Character visited regularly the Captain during his time in the Infirmary?**

 **Option 1: Lena Oxton [Increases Affinity + Insight to why Lena rallies behind the Captain]**

 **Option 2: Hana Song [Increases Affinity + Insight to Song's Manner of Talking with the Captain]**

 **Option 3: Wilhelm Reinhardt [Increases Affinity + Insight to German(y)'s Perspective on the Captain]**

 **Option 4: Jesse McCree [Increases Affinity + Confrontation of Blackwatch Affiliation]**

 **Poll should be up on my profile as per usual.**

 **Thanks for reading the Chapter!  
**

 **Hope you all enjoyed, and sorry once again if it feels like it takes a while for these to come out!**

 **Until Next Time!**

 **\- Goodnames-alltaken**


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